- Things everybody should know about the legendary Humanitarian:
Famous Quote of Abdul Sattar Edhi
- Edhi developed his caring and loving nature from a very early age. When he turned 11 a deadly disease caught hold of his mother. Edhi looked after his mother, fed her and even bathed her till the age of 19. But the fate acted against his wishes and her mother passed away.
- In an interview Edhi said that his mother used to give him 2 paisas as pocket money and further advised him to spend 1 paisa on himself and the other one to help someone else.By doing so, his mother instilled in him a sense of empathy and social care.
- In 1957, an epidemic broke down in Karachi. He bought his first ambulance in the same year. It was a very old vehicle indeed but that did not stop him from saving countless lives. He also established a free dispensary for the poor where the medical students accepted his request to volunteer for the treatment of the affected.
- From that year on, his ambulance network grew very rapidly because of the donations he got from hundreds of Pakistanis. He had become famous after his exemplary work in Karachi due to which many Pakistanis respected him as a hero and whole heatedly offered their help to nourish his humanitarian work. Edhi ambulance service works 24/7 with the capacity of almost 1800 ambulances.He achieved all this entirely on the donations he got from Pakistanis and did not accept any money from foreign institutions. So because of his efforts we can proudly say that Edhi ambulance service is purely Pakistani product.
- He established Edhi centers for the children, old men &women, mentally unstable and the widows to help them get food and shelter for free.Edhi has been registered guardian/parent of over 25000 children. At these centers, they were given shelter, food, treatment and education to make them independent in the future. When asked about how they were treated at these centers, almost every one had the same answer that they were given more love than their own family had ever given them in their entire lives.
- Edhi was strictly against the killing of the children due to poverty. Outside each Edhi center there was a cradle (Jhoola) with the caption, "Do not kill them, put them in the cradle" (translated)
- Edhi also acted as a counselor for the community. Several girls who were facing marriage problems and several more who could not get married came to Edhi for help. Edhi resolved their issues and was always ready to help.
- He used to stand in the roads for hours to gather the donations needed to run the institutions. Another notable thing about him was that he lived a very simple life. He lived in a small room. He had a pair of clothes that he wore his entire life. Simplicity was his most notable virtue.
- He was nominated for Nobel Prize many times for his humanitarian work.He was also rewarded many medals and trophies for his extraordinary work. He was rewarded Nishan-e-Imtiaz by the Pakistan Army.
- Edhi's quote about humanity is legendary.He said: " My religion is humanitarianism which is the basis of every religion in the world"
- Even at the time of his death, he wanted all his body parts to be donated.But sadly only his eyes were in perfect condition. He died on 8 July,2016. He was the third person ever to be given a state funeral in Pakistan. A huge crowd was present to offer their respects.And as the world watched this great man was laid to rest after giving thousands hope and peace.
➤Edhi-The Legend