In 1928,
Abdul Sattar Edhi was born in
Bantva, a town in the
princely state of
Bantva Manavadar in
British India. In 1939, when he was 11 years old, Edhi's mother suffered a major
stroke and became physically and mentally disabled. Shortly after this, Edhi dropped out of school to provide full-time care to his mother. At home, he would cater to her needs by bathing her, taking her to the bathroom, feeding her, and much more. He dedicated the following years of his life caring for her until she died in early 1947. Later that year, during the
Partition of India, Edhi and his family fled to the newly established
Dominion of Pakistan and settled down in
Karachi. The combined experiences of caring for his mother as well as seeing the death and destruction due to the partition motivated Edhi to pursue the establishment of a major humanitarian organization in Pakistan. By 1951, he had bought a small shop in Karachi and opened a free dispensary to aid those in need of humanitarian services. Since then, he began to build up what would eventually become the Edhi Foundation. He established his first welfare centre in 1957 and then the Edhi Trust. Eventually, the Edhi Trust, which functioned on the efforts of a single person and one room became a large nationwide network run on volunteer efforts and donations. The organization has over 300 centres across the country, being present anywhere from big cities to small towns and remote rural areas, primarily focused on providing medical aid, family planning and emergency assistance. Air ambulances allow the network to operate in and access remote areas. In Karachi alone, the Edhi Foundation runs eight major hospitals providing free medical care to all, alongside other services and establishments such as eye clinics, diabetic centres, surgical units, a four-bed cancer-focused hospital and mobile aid and relief dispensaries. In addition to these services, the organization also manages two blood banks. As with other Edhi services, these are run by employed professionals and volunteers. The foundation has a legal aid department, which also provides free services and has secured the release of countless innocent prisoners. Commissioned doctors visit jails on a regular basis and also supply food and other essentials to the inmates. There are 15 operational shelter homes for destitute children, runaways, and psychotics. On 25 June 2013, Edhi's kidneys failed, with doctors announcing that he would be on
dialysis for the rest of his life unless he found an appropriate kidney donor. Three years later, on 8 July 2016, Edhi died at the age of 88 due to kidney failure after having been placed on a ventilator. His last wishes included a request that his organs be donated to those in need but due to his poor health and failing organs, only his
corneas were suitable for donation. Edhi was given a
state funeral and thousands gathered to mourn his death as he was laid to rest in Edhi Village, Karachi. The Edhi Foundation also has an extensive education program, which not only provides services related to standard education but also in vocational activities such as driving, pharmacy and para-medical training. The emphasis and goal of this program is to propel those who are suffering from a nearly unbreakable cycle of poverty into a life of self-sufficiency. The foundation has branches in several countries where they provide relief to refugees and citizens in need in the
United States,
United Kingdom,
Canada,
Japan, and
Bangladesh. Following the end of the
Gulf War in 1991, the foundation provided aid and rehabilitation to the citizens of
Kuwait and
Iraq. It has also run major relief operations for earthquake victims in
Iran and
Egypt. The organization has held the
Guinness World Record for being the "world's largest volunteer ambulance organization" since 1997. In 2016, after the death of Abdul Sattar Edhi, the
State Bank of Pakistan urged all banks around the country to donate to the Edhi Foundation. == Services ==