ABDUL SATTAR EDHI
عبد الستار ایدھی
The Richest Poor Man
ABDUL SATTAR EDHI was born in 1928 (1928–2016) in India, in Bantva, a small village near Joona Gurh, in Gujarat State.
In 1947, after partition of the former British colony into two separate independent states, India and Pakistan, Abdul Sattar Edhi's family, who were Muslims, moved to Pakistan.
In 1965, Edhi married Bilquis, a nurse who worked at an Edhi Trust dispensary.They had four children, two daughters and two sons.His children names are Faisal Edhi,Kubra Edhi,Kutub Edhi,Almas Edhi. After his death, his elder son Faisal Edhi is running Edhi Foundation.
In 1974, Abdul Sattar Edhi establishes the Edhi Foundation which over the years has become the largest and best organized social welfare system in Pakistan and in the Third World.
The Edhi Foundation operates on the basis of local volunteers and through private donations, in a spirit of tolerance and solidarity that goes beyond racial and religious barriers.
His wife Bilquis Abdul Sattar Edhi is still working in Karachi where his organisation helps the poorest and the most destitute, not only in Pakistan but also in other Third World countries.Edhi was known for his ascetic lifestyle, owning only two pairs of clothes, never taking salary from his organization and living in a small apartment next to his organization's office.Prominent Pakistani figures such as Maulana Tariq Jamil often expressed their strong support for Edhi and his work.
International Awards- Ramon Magsaysay Award for Public Service (1986)
- Lenin Peace Prize (1988)
- Paul Harris Fellow from Rotary International (1993)
- Peace Prize from the former USSR, for services during the Armenian earthquake disaster (1988)
- Hamdan Award for volunteers in Humanitarian Medical Services (2000), UAE
- International Balzan Prize (2000)
- for Humanity, Peace and Brotherhood, Italy
- Peace and Harmony Award (2001), Delhi
- Peace Award (2004), Mumbai
- Peace Award (2005), Hyderabad Deccan Gandhi Peace Award (2007), Delhi
- Seoul Peace Prize (2008), Seoul
- Honorary doctorate from the Institute of Business Administration Karachi (2006).
- UNESCO-Madanjeet Singh Prize (2009)
- Ahmadiyya Muslim Peace Prize (2010)
- Honorary Doctorate by the University of Bedfordshire (2010)
- London Peace Award (2011), London
- Silver Jubilee Shield by College of Physicians and Surgeons (1962–1987)
- Moiz ur rehman Award (2015)
- The Social Worker of Sub-Continent by Government of Sindh (1989)
- Nishan-e-Imtiaz, civil decoration from the Government of Pakistan (1989)
- Recognition of meritorious services to oppressed humanity during the 1980s by Ministry of Health and Social Welfare, Government of Pakistan (1989)
- Pakistan Civic Award from the Pakistan Civic Society (1992)
- Jinnah Award for Outstanding Services to Pakistan was conferred in April 1998 by The Jinnah Society. This was the first Jinnah Award conferred on any person in Pakistan.
- Shield of Honor by Pakistan Army (E & C)
- Khidmat Award by the Pakistan Academy of Medical Sciences
- Bacha Khan Aman (Peace) Award in 1991
- Human Rights Award by Pakistan Human Rights Society
- 2013 Person of the Year by the readers of The Express Tribune
On 25 June 2013, Edhi was hospitalized due to failing kidneys; it was announced that he would be on dialysis for the rest of his life unless he found a kidney donor.He later died on 8 July 2016 at the age of 88 due to complete kidney failure after having been placed on a ventilator. One of his last wishes was that his organs be donated for the use of the needy but due to his poor health, only his corneas were suitable for later use in donation.He was laid to rest at Edhi Village in Karachi.
"My religion is humanitarianism,which is the basis of every religion in the world"
--Abdul Sattar Edhi