What Is The Edhi Foundation And Who Is The Founder Of It?

The Edhi Foundation is the work of a remarkable man, Abdus Sattar Edhi. Single-handedly, he has built up a whole network of emergency services all over Pakistan. Starting his work in 1957, with just a small amount, he helped the victims of influenza, a deadly virus in Karachi. With a donation from a businessman, Edhi bought a van. Soon, people would inform Edhi of an accident as he proved to be more reliable than the police and government services. At present, the Foundation has over 320 centers all over Pakistan. The Foundation now has a whole fleet of ambulances, vans and even helicopters. In the death infested streets of Karachi and Hyderabad, Edhi is known as the Angel of Mercy.

The Foundation is run by Edhi and his wife on a voluntary basis, but people all over Pakistan donate generously to what is seen as a very just cause. About l/3rd of the Foundation's budget of Rs one billion comes from Pakistanis working abroad. The Edhi Foundation, besides providing help to the victims of accidents, crime and terrorism, has also started a network of clinics, hospitals, orphanages, homes for the mentally ill, maternity centers and child adoption centers. The Foundation is well known for its work in the burying of the unclaimed dead. The Edhi Foundation is a well established NGO that depends on about 2000 regular workers and thousands of volunteers.