Helping out: German activist donates €22,00 to Edhi

This is Dieter Denschlag’s third visit to the country.

KARACHI: A German activist donated four ambulances to the Edhi foundation at an event on Monday. The president of Human Aid, Dieter Denschlag, met social activist Abdul Sattar Edhi and donated vehicles worth €22,000 to the Bilquis Edhi Home in Clifton.

As Denschlag spoke in German, his translator got the message across and said that the money used to buy the vehicles was collected by Denschlag for the 2010 floods. “Back then I could not come to Pakistan because of the law and order situation,” said Denschlag. “I decided to use the money by donating vehicles to this organisation.” He added that he had really wanted to meet Edhi.

This was Denschlag’s third visit to the country. The last time he was here was during the 2005 earthquake when he had visited areas such as Balakot and Mansehra. He had arrived with a team of doctors and had distributed medicines.

While speaking at the event, the consul general of Germany, Tilo Klinner, said that his country had an extensive economic cooperation programme with Pakistan. “Germany has continuously supported Pakistan during disasters. In fact, the public has donated more than the government sector.” On Sunday, the German delegation had also met Archbishop Evarist Pinto and gave him €2,500 for educational projects.

Published in The Express Tribune, January 31^st, 2012.