HISTORY

Charitable Organization “Medical Aid Committee in Zakarpattya" (CO "MACZ" or CO "CAMZ"; now Charitable Organization “Charity Fund “Medical Aid Committee in Zakarpattya", CO "CF "MACZ" or CO "CF "CAMZ") was officially registered on 21 March, 2000.

The charity originated through the work of French specialists, who arrived to Transcarpathia in 1996 to support the Vilshany Children Orphanage. Over the course of the next few years, the expert rehabilitation therapists, social and medical staff worked with the children and created programmes for their individual development. All this work was carried out with their Ukrainian colleagues; also specialists in their respective fields. As a result, when the French finished their work in Transcarpathia in 2000, our specialists, namely Nataliya Kabatsiy and other colleagues continued the project; and so the Charitable Organization “Medical Aid Committee in Zakarpattya" was established. So far, 21 March is celebrated as our birth day.

The most important milestones:

1996: Ukrainian staff of MACZ carried out the programmes with the financial support of ECHO, SAH:

• Establishment of the Child Guidance and Family Counselling Centre – the present sanatorium "Malyatko";

• Repair work carried out with the aim of creating a rehabilitation department of 140 beds  Berehovo Psychiatric Hospital

2000-2006: Repair work, occupational training of the staff and support of Vilshany Children Orphanage funded by the Catholic Committee against Hunger and for Development Assistance.

2001: Immediate aid to those affected by the damaging floods: Means of water purification and rodent control were distributed to all Sanitary and Epidemiological Service (SES) for affected communities. Funding was provided by the Ministry for Foreign Affairs of France, the Humanitarian Aid Department

2002: Programmes on Transborder Experience Exchange among the staff of Vilshany Children Orphanage and institutions accepting children with mental and intellectual disorders in Hungary and Romania. The Carpathian Fund provided funding for this work.

2003: Repair work aimed at the creation of a Psychiatric Department of the Regional Berehovo Psychiatric Hospital. Funding was provided by SON (the Netherlands), DEZA (Agency for Development and Cooperation, Switzerland), Voix de l’enfant («Voice of Child», France);

2004: A project on the evaluation of public awareness in the Transcarpathian region regarding tuberculosis and AIDS and the strengthening and training medical staff dealing with these issues. Financial support came from the Embassy of the Netherlands (MATRA KAP)

2004, 2006: Programme on the Fight against Tuberculosis and HIV/AIDS, support in Directly Observed Treatment (DOTS) strategy introduction in the Transcarpathian region (DOTS, Short-course). Funding provided by EuropeAid (Tacis IBPP), Voix de l’enfant (‘Voice of the Child’ France)

2006: The installation of a water purification system for the Regional Berehovo Psychiatric Hospital (Chikosh). Funding from SON (the Netherlands)

2006-2009: Creation of the pilot project "Parasolka" for young people leaving the Vilshany Children Orphanage. Funded by the Network Switzerland-Transcarpathia – Ukraine (NeSTU) (Switzerland), Association "Parasolka", Switzerland (Parasolka), Carpathian Fund – Ukraine (Network of Dutch Charitable Funds for Central and Eastern Europe, the Netherlands), Vysochyna  Kray (Czech Republic)

2008: Programme arranging for Transcarpathia officials to visit Switzerland to learn about social institutions work. Funds provided by the Association "Parasolka", Switzerland

2009: The Installation of a water supply system (drilling a well) in the Chop Border Detachment for the Temporary Holding Facilities for Foreigners. Funds provided by FCE (European Civic Forum, Switzerland)

The opening of the social rehabilitation centre "Parasolka" in Tyachiv, the youth branch of Vilshany Children Orphanage

2010 – continuous up to now: Assistance to migrants, refugees and asylum seekers in Transcarpathia (legal and psychological counselling, social accompaniment, medical aid to specially vulnerable persons)

2011: Travel organization for the residents of social rehabilitation centre "Parasolka" to allow them to attend the festival for persons with special needs “Makel los” ("No Defects") at Fribourg, Switzerland.

Organizing the showing of the first short video competition "Migration – an Attempt to Flee or Right for Better Life?". Demonstration of some works of the documentary photographer, Oleksandr Glyadelov from his exhibition: "Mama Africa"

2012: Our organization "Medical Aid Committee in Zakarpattya" wins the international human rights award "Open Borders” by the decision of the association "Cornelius Koh's Circle of Friends" (Switzerland). This award is granted to persons or organizations having considerable achievements in the sphere of refugees, migrants, socially-disadvantaged groups of persons and minorities' rights protection.

Organizing the second short video competition "Migration – an Attempt to Flee or Right for Better Life?".

2013: Best practices exchange programme with the representatives of the Federal Commission for Migration Issues, Switzerland. Swiss human rights activists visited the Temporary Holding Facility for foreigners in Chop Border Detachment, the Temporary Holding Facility for foreigners "Latorytsya", the Mukachevo Human Rights Centre, and also participated in the workshop "Migration – an Attempt to Flee or Right for Better Life?”.

Organizing the third short video competition, "Migration – an Attempt to Flee or Right for Better Life?".

Our Committee has become a regional partner of the International Documentary Film Festival on Human Rights Docudays UA. At that time, the X International Documentary Film Festival on Human Rights Docudays UA was conducted in Transcarpathia for the first time.

2014: Showing the full-length documentary film "Special flight" of the Swiss stage director-documentary film-maker Fernand Melgar in Uzhhorod. Discussion and workshop with the participation of the stage director.

Training for journalists on hate speech  "Ukraine: hate speech in war times" from Maksym Butkevych – journalist, co-coordinator of the Project "No Borders", coordinator of Resource Aid Centre for Internally Placed Persons of the Public Council affiliated with the Ministry of Health Care of Ukraine

Conducting the X International Documentary Film Festival on Human Rights, Docudays UA. The Festival was opened with an exhibition of the documentary photographer Oleksandr Glyadelov "Hear, brother…", dedicated to the events of 2013-2014 in Ukraine: “Euromaidan” and Anti-terroristic operation (ATO). Afterwards, this exhibition travelled to many cities of Ukraine, Europe and the USA.

2015: Meeting for journalists and representatives from the mainstream press from Ukraine, Russia, the countries of former Yugoslavia and countries of Schengen zone (Budapest, Hungary)

Conducting the XII International Documentary Film Festival on Human Rights Docudays UA.