Edhi Foundation

The Edhi Foundation is a non profit social welfare program in Pakistan, founded by Abdul Sattar Edhi. Edhi is the head of the organization and his wife Bilquis, a nurse, oversees the maternity and adoption services of the foundation.

The Edhi Foundation provides 24-hour emergency assistance across the nation of Pakistan and abroad. The Foundation provides, among many other services, shelter for the destitute, free hospitals and medical care, drug rehabilitation services, and national and international relief efforts.

Origin
The foundation started its operations in 1951 by Abdul Sattar Edhi, using the money he had saved to purchase a small shop while he was looking after his mother. It was at this shop where he opened a tiny dispensary with the help of a doctor who taught him basic medical care. He also encouraged his friends to give literacy classes there.

In 1957,when a major flu epidemic swept Karachi, Edhi was quick to react. He set up tents on the outskirts of the city to distribute free immunizations. Grateful residents donated generously to Edhi and so did the rest of Pakistan after hearing of his deeds. With all the donated money he bought the rest of the building his dispensary was located in, and opened a free maternity centre and nursing school. This was the origin of the Edhi Foundation.

Programs

 * Welfare activities
 * Baby cradles (jhoolas) are installed at most Edhi centers, where unwanted or abandoned babies may be left. Adoptions are then arranged for the infants.
 * Destitute homes (Apna Ghar) service orphans, runaways, and the mentally ill.
 * Warehouses hold supplies for emergency situations.
 * Missing Persons Service posts bulletins for missing persons in the press, on radio and TV.
 * Prisoner's Aid provides provisions and legal aid to imprisoned persons.
 * Graveyard Services provide washing and burials for unclaimed bodies. Religious services are provided according to the deceased's religious affiliation.
 * Public Kitchens feed the hungry in Karachi, Lahore, and Rawalpindi


 * Emergency Services
 * Note The Edhi Foundation is listed in the Guinness Book of World Records as having the largest volunteer ambulance organization in the world.
 * Field Ambulance Service provides 700 ambulances (the largest ambulance fleet in Pakistan and the largest private ambulance service network in the world).
 * Air Ambulance Service provides two airplanes and one helicopter.
 * Marine and Coastal Service provides weather warnings, air-drops food supplies, and recovers dead bodies.
 * Emergency Checkposts provides immediate, emergency care.


 * Projects
 * Highway Projects are developing new Edhi centers across the nation of Pakistan.
 * Blood and Drug Banks provide medicine needy persons. They also collect and store blood for transfusions.
 * Cancer Research Hostel houses 50 cancer patients in Karachi.


 * International Activities
 * Refugee Assistance provides help to refugees in Pakistan.
 * International Community Centers are established in several nations to assist Pakistanis and other Asians overseas.
 * Offices Abroad are Edhi Foundation offices established in other nations, such as Japan, the UK, and the USA.