Report On Personality (Abdul Sattar Edhi)

Prepared By:
Aabroo Fatima (001)
Saliha Farooq (025)
Shadab Zahra (026)

Submitted To:
Sir. S.M.Ali Zaidi

Submitted On:
13-12-18

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TABLE OF CONTENTS:

ABSTRACT ........................................................................................................................................... 3

INTRODUCTION................................................................................................................................. 4

BACKGROUND ................................................................................................................................... 4

MISSION & VISON ............................................................................................................................. 5

PERSONALITY CHARACTERISTICS ............................................................................................ 6

LEADERSHIP CHARACTERISTICS ............................................................................................... 7

CHALLENGES AND ACHIEVEMENTS ......................................................................................... 8

CONCLUSION ................................................................................................................................... 10

LIST OF AWARDS PRESENTED TO EDHI ................................................................................. 11

SERVICES RENDERED BY THE FOUNDATION IN THE INTERNATIONAL ARENA ...... 12

REFERENCES .................................................................................................................................... 13

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 ABSTRACT

The following report is on the great personality of Pakistan (Abdul Sattar Edhi), who was

philanthropist. He helps orphans, mentally ill and old people and he started a foundation

named “Edhi Centre”. He won many awards on his working of charity. He was the best

example of humanity and open hearted man. He also known at international level, and had a

great achievements at international level.

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INTRODUCTION

The most respected and active philanthropist of Pakistan Abdul Sattar Edhi states “My religion

is humanitarianism, which is the basis of every religion in the world,” an ideology on which he

bases his work and life on. Abdul Sattar Edhi known by many names ‘angel of mercy’ for his

tremendous contribution to helping the poor, ‘roti’ due to his appearance in childhood, ‘Nana

(maternal grandfather)’, was born in 1928 in Bantva a small town in Kathiawar (a former

district of the state of Gujrat in India). Nevertheless no matter how many names there is only

one ‘Edhi’ for the general public of Pakistan to which all can relate and are familiar with. Due

to his persistent efforts and selfless practices Edhi has truly earned himself the reputation of an

honorable human being and a centurion leader.

BACKGROUND

Edhi’s mother was the foundation to his life’s work. Not only did she practice charity but

actively involved Edhi from an early age to do so, inculcating in him a spirit to serve others.

At the age of eleven Edhi’s mother became paralyzed and mentally instable, due to his love for

her Edhi devoted nearly all of his time to taking care of her wellbeing. Edhi studies up till the

age of thirteen as his passion lied not in the books but in the service of others; his mother had

always taught him to put others before himself and shun greed and materialistic desire of this

world. At thirteen he left school and started working, selling pencils and matchboxes in the

local market of Bantva and spent the afternoons reading newspapers, magazines and books to

educate himself becoming familiar with the ideas of Karl Marx and Lenin. He began to

differentiate between the oppressed and the oppressors, and became interested in the revolution

and struggle for Pakistan. He idealized Mahtama Ghandhi , Mohammad Ali Jinnah, Abuzar

Ghafafri (RA), a dear companion of Hazrat Muhammad (PBUH) and read about Ghaffar

Khan’s Khudai Khidmatgar Party, only later to adopt his dress code. Edhi was hardworking;

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simplicity, sensitivity, truthfulness and humanity reflected in his personality from a very young

age. Athletic, good looking with a desire to make a change Edhi was self-confident a quality

which greatly contributed towards him establishing himself as a leader.

In 1947 along with other Memons, Edhi’s and his family migrated from Bantva (India) to Hala,

Sindh (Pakistan) and volunteered to work for the 1st Bantva Memon dispensary established by

the elite Memons of the society. But on observing the discrimination that non-Memons faced

for obtaining free medicine he voiced his opinion saying “humanitarian work loses its

significance when you discriminate between the needy” faced with hostility for his thoughts he

left the dispensary and opened his own dispensary “Memon voluntary corps” in 1951. He

bought his first ambulance in 1957, adding to the only four other existing in the whole of the

province and in 1966 married ‘Bilquise’ a nurse at his dispensary from with whom he has four

children .

MISSION & VISON

Edhi’s mission is “to serve humanity, regardless of religion, race, and background”. Edhi says

‘Why shouldn’t the poor and helpless have access to shelter, health facilities and food? Our

mission is to provide these services to the poor just like these services are provided to the rich,

the poor too have rights just like the wealthy. And to me serving the poor is as good as any

worship for all humans are equal and deserve, care ,love, respect and equal treatment’

Edhi envisioned to educate his countrymen on giving charity for which he ventured on to the

streets himself begging for funds. The decision to avoid taking donations from the rich and

influential was purposely avoided in order to save the mission of his organization from

interference and promotion of the donors personal interests.

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PERSONALITY CHARACTERISTICS

No matter how much the Edhi foundation has grown, Edhi himself remains very much attached

to his roots and humble in his worldly desires. Simplicity in dress, living and thought Edhi

attends to all personal and professional matters himself with a hands on approach to each

subject whether it be sweeping his dwelling to bathing dead bodies and preparing them for

funeral . One cannot imagine the minimalistic lifestyle with which this giant philanthropist

lives. The couple lives in one room, with an adjoining kitchen and have devoted the rest of the

building to the service of the foundation.

A normal day for Edhi begins at five am with the performing of the Fajr prayers after which he

attends to addressing calls for help and organizing his team for field activities and day ahead,

afternoons are spent visiting the various hospitals around the city and evenings are spent dining

with the homeless and poor at one of the Edhi foundations community free meal centre’s (

Langar khana). Fridays are always spent in company of orphan’s at one of the Edhi homes for

destitute children. And the day’s activities comprises of interacting with the children, helping

bathe the handicapped and joining for Friday prayers along with occasional picnics.

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LEADERSHIP CHARACTERISTICS

In a span of 45 years’, operating from a small headquarters in one of Karachi’s poorest districts

Edhi has established a national welfare network. Edhi personifies what an ordinary human can

accomplish if one has a vison and dedication to overcome all odds.

Edhi is the epitom of sacrifice, practicing what he preaches Edhi motivates his followers though

setting personal examples. He is a restless soul, always on the look out to assist the destitute

and distressed. Actively engaged with his followers, at each step the leader within motivates

the team at Edhi foundation of sensitivity and what is ethical justice. A dreamer who believes

in taking high risk command respect of all even without power and wealth. Transformational

leadership style is the cornerstone of Edhis existence.

An expert on his field Edhi follows the principle of leadership in which for him what is more

important is how we think not what we think. Emotional and emphatic Edhi is very successful

in creating synergies a tool which has helped him achieve great success with the community at

large and his followers

Some categorize him as the ‘afflictive leader’ as Edhi style focuses on building emotional

bonds and creating harmony, motivating his team during stressful circumstances and takes

responsibility for his decisions. As token for his services he was awarded with International

Balzan Prize for Humanity, Peace and Brotherhood from Italy in 2000.

Others see Edhi as a transformational leader one who meticulously coordinates managerial and

supervisory duties under stressful circumstances and is always goal oriented. Following a

philosophy of ‘managing by example’ Edhi sets a momentum for the foundation and his

volunteers. Expecting all team members to put in their best. Edhi perseverance and dedication

towards his cause can be seen in the fact that he was awarded the International Lenin Peace

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Prize for services in the Armenian earthquake disaster from Russia in 1988 which is the Russian

equivalent to the Nobel Peace Prize and The Hamdan Award for volunteers in Humanitarian

Medical Services from UAE in 2000. Which all would not have been possible without the

support of his volunteers.

Bestowed with immense will power, a daring heart and bones full of adventure, Edhi has

stretched far and wide in helping the needy even to the extent of offering his personal belonging

for service and assistance

His powers positive thinking and eye for justice does not let him discriminate between his

followers. Concepts such as trust, transparency and appreciation where due is a code which all

those attached to the foundation live by. For Edhi swimming against the tide is an art he has

mastered well over the years. Standing for what you believe in accompanied with emotional

intelligence and ability to reach out to followers allows Edhi to take a back seat majority of the

time and lets the members of his foundation lead; giving them autonomy and increasing job

satisfaction.

CHALLENGES AND ACHIEVEMENTS

Forward thinking Edhi has always taken on challenges with an aim to overcome each obstacle

along the way without fear of the risk involved. After being distraught over the discrimination

vetted out by the wealthy Memons of the young Karachi in 1951 Edhi with the little savings

he had purchased an 8 foot shop in Mithadar, known as the ‘Memon Voluntary Corporation’

the tiny dispensary was the first step to Edhis dream of distributing free social service to all in

need. Edhi continued to building and expanding every minute from this point on. With the

opening of a maternity home above the dispensary Edhi came under fierce attack from the

influential Memons, due to which he changed name of the dispensary to ‘Madina Volunteer

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Corporation’ giving it a generic and name and adding a tag line stating that dissatisfied

customers can claim their money back.

A great shock and awakening came for Edhi with the demise of his mother, the fashioner of

Edhis purpose in life. The self-determination factor to serve humanity sunk deeper into Edhi

personality with this event. Faced with numerous obstacles at the very beginning of his life

long journey Edhi remained steadfast with faith in Allah and a goal as clear as water.

Initially registered as a trust under the Act of 1886 and having several members including Edhi

brother, animosity of individuals soon overtook the mission of Trust to such an extent that

Edhis own brother revolted against Edhis for his removal from Trust and at one point even

became physically violent leaving Edhi heartbroken and even contemplating suicide. The

matter was taken to court and was settled in favor of Edhi. Stressed and bewildered by his

brother’s action in 1979 Edhi changed the Trust to Abdul Sattar Edhi Foundation upgrading it

from a local welfare organization to an international humanitarian foundation.

The foundation consists of 7 members Edhi, his wife their two sons and two daughters. The

foundation is exempted from income tax and is very transparent when it comes to yearly audits.

From 1951 when he established his first tiny dispensary, Edhi has not looked back. Growing

continuously The Edhi foundation today has more than 7000 employees (who are only paid

subsistence allowance in lieu of their services instead of proper salaries) which include medical

doctors, nurses, health care workers, ambulance drivers and social activists. There are more

than 250 Edhi centers, and 17 Edhi homes across Pakistan which cater to old women and men,

mentally challenged people, girls and boys, infants and babies and there is also a home for

abandoned animals. These 17 homes provide shelter to approximately 6000 homeless

individuals.
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Although the social mission and services of the Edhi foundation have expanded internationally

yet Edhis own life style and personal possessions remain minimal and open to the world.

To avoid bureaucratic intervention Edhi to date has never accepted financial contribution from

the government, and even when private funders try to intervene with the greatest moral courage

Edhi makes sure their cheques too are returned in order to save the foundations mission from

external interventions. The Edhi foundation accepts contributions in kind e.g. food, clothing,

medicines and animal hides. Donations to the foundation range from 5 Pakistani rupees to

thousands of rupees. For the purpose of transparency annual audit is carried-out by a reputable

chartered accountancy firms.

CONCLUSION

Being one of the biggest supports to the government system for mobilizing community

resources and reducing the burden on the exchequer the Edhi foundation too like all other

organizations faces the threat of terrorism in Pakistan. The "Volunteer System that Edhi has

put in place though his people centered approach has built lasting commitments on part of the

volunteers whereas at the same time reducing overhead expenses. Yet with increasing

competition in the market Edhi has voiced his concern over the drop in the inflow of donations

and the inability to attract talented, educated young individuals. Edhi in an interview stated

“Only women show interest in working with the foundation.The educated young male is not

interested in welfare work". The foundation goal of expansion to becoming a reputable

international organization is deterred due to the lack of professional individuals required to

support the growing and complex system which is emerging as a result of the service basket

the foundation provides.

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Abdul Sattar Edhi’s passion for simplicity and services removing barriers of cast color creed

have shown what love for humanity really is. Together with his biggest source of motivation

and support his wife Edhi and Biquees carry on forward hoping to overcoming societal

intolerance, bringing hope to the hopeless, home to the homeless and life to the lifeless.

LIST OF AWARDS PRESENTED TO EDHI

1. International Lenin Peace Prize for services in the Armenian earthquake disaster from Russia

(former USSR), 1988

2. Magsaysay Award for public service from Philippines, 1986 .The Ramon Magsaysay Award is

often considered Asia's Nobel Prize and is announced annually

3. International Balzan Prize for Humanity, Peace and Brotherhood from Italy, 2000

4. Hamdan Award for volunteers in Humanitarian Medical Services from UAE, 2000

5. Paul Harris Fellow from Rotary International Foundation, 1993

6. Largest Voluntary Ambulance Organization of the World by Guinness Book of World Records,

2000

7. Nishan-e-Imtiaz from Government of Pakistan, 1989

8. Recognition of meritorious services to oppressed humanity during eighties by Ministry of

Health and Social Welfare, Government of Pakistan, 1989

9. The Social Worker of Sub-Continent by Government of Sind, 1989

10. Shield of Honor by Pakistan Army (E & C)

11. Honorary Doctorate Degree by Institute of Business Administration,2006

12. Khidmat Award by Pakistan Academy of Medical Sciences Silver Jubilee Shield by College of

Physicians and Surgeons of Pakistan

13. Human Rights Award by Pakistan Human Rights Society

14. Pakistan Civic Award by Pakistan Civic Society, 1992

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SERVICES RENDERED BY THE FOUNDATION IN THE

INTERNATIONAL ARENA

1. Aid to Afghan refugees since 1978.

2. Relief to the needy in the civil war in Lebanon during 1983.

3. Rupees 0.5 million for flood relief in Bangladesh during 1986. In addition an ambulance was

also provided Rupees one million in aid to the drought and famine-stricken areas in Ethiopia

during 1985.

4. Aid to earthquake victims of Armenia, USSR during year 1989.

5. Aid for the affected people and refugees of Persian Gulf War during 1991 in the form of blood,

plasma, medicines and surgical instruments, etc., worth approximately Rs.4.5 million.

6. Aid to earthquake victims of North-Western Iran during 1990.

7. Continuous relief goods including tents, clothing, blankets and rations for refugees in Azad

Kashmir.

8. Relief aid to Kurd refugees.

9. Financial and travel assistance to the stranded Pakistanis in Kuwait during the Persian Gulf War

in 1992.

10. Aid during the earthquake in Cairo 1992.

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 11. Efforts for the release of prisoners and detainees involved in minor immigration irregularities

in Iraq and Romania during 1993-94.

REFERENCES

 Hashmi , H. W, 2011, "A Life Well Lived: A Tribute to Abdul Sattar Edhi ,Pakistaniaat: A

Journal of Pakistan Studies Vol. 3, No. 2

 Durrani , Themina 2006 , "Abdul Sattar Edhi: A Mirror To The Blind", 5 th edition , An

autobiography.

 www.edhi .org

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