Remembering Edhi

Letter July 10, 2020
It has been four years since the death of Abdul Sattar Edhi

It has been four years since the death of Abdul Sattar Edhi, one of the world’s greatest philanthropists, who set up the Edhi Foundation in 1951. Undoubtedly, Mr Edhi achieved an unprecedented milestone while handling and managing his organisation with the sole motive of serving humanity without any prejudice.

The Edhi Foundation provides a wide range of charity services from ambulances, orphanages, blood banks as well as support for elder and disabled. In addition to this, the concept of Edhi Jhula has saved thousands of abandoned lives. Whenever the state fails to cope with an emergency, the Edhi foundation is always there to fill up the void.

However, Mr Edhi’s death plunged his organisation into a financial crisis as the flow of donations has plummeted significantly. The foundation stood on the pillar of his personal charisma. Those who supported Mr Edhi never questioned or demanded anything, because they trusted him blindly. Unfortunately, just five months after his death, his son Faisal Edhi has claimed that donations have gone down by 40%. In addition to this, there has been a drop of 30% in hide collection on Eid ul Azha. This is not the fault of those who are trying to step in Mr Edhi’s shoes, but because the people of Pakistan are losing interest in his charity organisation.

Faisal Edhi is trying hard to become an able substitute to his father, and we all must help him in his efforts. We must again show support for the Edhi Foundation which is the pioneer of philanthropy in the country.

Abdul Malik Soomro

Larkana

Published in The Express Tribune, July 10th, 2020.

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