Abdul Sattar Edhi (1928–2016) was a Pakistani humanitarian, philanthropist and social activist who founded the Edhi Foundation, one of the largest social welfare service providers in the world.
Edhi was born on 28th February 1928 in the small village of Bantva, Gujarat in what was then British India. When he was 11, his mother developed a severe illness and Edhi spent much of his time looking after her. His mother’s conditioned worsened over time and Edhi had to drop out of school, unable to finish his high school studies.
She died when he was 19 and it deeply affected him. He thought about the other mothers out there who were also suffering from illnesses and didn’t have people to look after them.
The problem, however, was that he didn’t have any resources. How could he help? Without money and without a high school education, it felt like an uphill battle.
After the partition of India in 1947, his family migrated to Karachi, Pakistan. Edhi took on several jobs and after several years, he, with the support of the local community, set up a free dispensary; a place where medications were prepared and distributed to those in need.
It was run out of a tiny room where Edhi worked as a volunteer pharmacist and it also served as his sleeping quarters.
In 1957 he purchased a used van and converted it into an ambulance, with which he provided free trips to the hospital for those in need.
Some people mocked Edhi’s activities, thinking he was wasting time. But the community was largely supportive. With local funding, he expanded his services to provide more social, charitable and humanitarian services to disadvantaged groups. As a non-profit, it worked for the public rather than for money
In 1957, Edhi registered the Edhi Foundation (previously operating as the “Edhi Trust”) and provided invaluable services including a free ambulance network, Edhi Homes (accommodation for orphans, abandoned children and the homeless) and a Relief Centre (where people could be given immediate medical attention).
Public donations (often attained via collection boxes placed in markets), an increasing number of volunteers, and media attention in the Pakistani press allowed the Edhi Foundation to grow and offer more services.
It didn’t matter who you were, what your background was or how rich/poor you were. There was no discrimination. Edhi never took a salary from the Foundation and lived in a modest 2-room apartment next its headquarters in Karachi. He also continued to assist in day-to-day activities of the Foundation as it grew larger and larger.
Abdul Sattar Edhi passed away in 2016 but the Foundation’s work continued to operate via the leadership of his wife, Bilquis Bano Edhi (who passed away in 2022), and today via his children Faisal Edhi, Kubra Edhi and Saqaib Edhi, and thousands of volunteers.
The Edhi Foundation has over 1,800 ambulances providing free rides across Pakistan, over 300 orphanages sheltering around 20,000 children, and continues to aid in international relief works. It’s still reliant on public donations with no government support.
