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Abdul Sattar Edhi

Voice 1

Welcome to Spotlight. I'm Robin Basselin.

Voice 2 

And I'm Ryan Geertsma. Spotlight uses a special English method of broadcasting. It is easier for people to understand, no matter where in the world they live.

Voice 1

In Pakistan, there is a name that almost everyone recognizes. It is the name Edhi. Edhi is not the name of a government leader. It is also not the name of a famous film star or rich family. Instead, Edhi is the name of a man known for his amazing service to humanity.

Voice 2

The Edhi Foundation is Pakistan's largest social service system. Today, there are over three hundred Edhi Foundation centers around Pakistan. The organization has hundreds of emergency vehicles to transport sick and injured people. Over the past sixty years, the Edhi organization has trained forty thousand nurses. It has provided homes for fifty thousand children. It has also helped women give birth to over one million babies. They even respectfully bury the bodies of poor and unknown individuals. And all these services are provided free. Today's Spotlight is on the man who started the Edhi Foundation - Abdul Sattar Edhi.

Voice 1

The Edhi Foundation has made Edhi a trusted name in Pakistan. However, Abdul Sattar Edhi was not born in Pakistan. He was born in India in 1928.

Voice 2

Edhi came from a middle class family. However, they lived a very simple life. Edhi's mother often gave away more money than she spent on the family. From an early age, Edhi's mother taught him the importance of serving people in need.

Voice 1

Edhi often helped his mother identify needs in the community. He also helped her bring food, medicine and other things to those who needed them. Edhi enjoyed this work much more than school. In fact, by age thirteen, Edhi no longer attended school. Instead, he worked small jobs and saved his money. He also continued to do social work with his mother.

Voice 2

Because of his mother, Edhi developed a desire to serve. But she was not his only influence. Edhi's father also taught him much about working hard. He told Edhi that doing things was much more important than just saying things. His life showed Edhi the importance of working hard, saving money and living simply.

Voice 1

In 1947, Edhi moved with his family from India to the newly created modern state of Pakistan. After saving enough money from his many jobs, Edhi bought a very small room. This was Edhi's first social service center.

Voice 2

Edhi worked at this center all day. He cared for the sick, dying and other people in need. At night, he returned home to continue his work. You see, after moving to Pakistan, Edhi's mother became sick. She could no longer walk or care for herself. So Edhi cared for his mother every night until her death.

Voice 1

Edhi learned about suffering, pain and death while he cared for his mother. This process shaped the rest of his life. In his book, he explained,

Voice 3

"As a child, my mother taught me to give to those in need. Now, she taught me common social welfare... She created a burning desire in my heart to care for humanity the way I had done for her...The first night she spent buried in the ground, I promised my life to the service of mankind."

Voice 2

After his mother's death, Edhi worked without stopping. He began to greatly expand his service. His little room grew into a whole building. Edhi raised more and more money to start new programs. However, he never took any money from the government. He wanted his work to be independent - supported by the people, for the people.

Voice 1

Edhi slept every night at the center. He was always there for anyone in need. Edhi's serious nature and hard work produced many great things. However, it also limited his private life. Over the years, Edhi asked many women to marry him. And many women refused him. No one wanted to marry a man who had little money and who worked all the time.

Voice 2     

Then Edhi met a young nurse in training named Bilquese. Bilquese was hard working and enjoyed serving those in need. However, unlike Ehdi, Bilquese was not always serious. She talked a lot and had a good sense of humor.

Voice 1

After many months, Edhi asked Bilquese to be his wife. She said yes and they were married. However, Edhi was too busy working to even attend the marriage celebration! Many women would have been very angry. But Bilquese understood the man she married AND his desire to serve.

Voice 2

For almost fifty years now, Bilquese has served along side Edhi. Bilquese runs many of the women's health programs. And Edhi manages the whole Foundation. Today, Edhi and Bilquese's four grown children are also involved in the Edhi Foundation.

Voice 1

Life has not always been easy. The Edhi family's life of service has required many sacrifices. Edhi and Bilquese have never taken time away from work. Edhi also missed many important events in the life of his children. However, their greatest sacrifice was the loss of their grandson, Bilal.

Voice 2

Bilal was burned badly by a women staying at one of the Edhi centers. This woman had a mental sickness. She poured boiling water over the boy. And after a few weeks he died.

Voice 1

This terrible event deeply wounded the Edhi family. The loss of Bilal was almost too much for Edhi. However, Bilal's death did not keep Edhi from his work. Instead, he now understood even more deeply the suffering of the people he served.

Voice 2  

Through his whole life, Edhi has been clear that his services are for anyone who needs them. When he began his work in Pakistan, social service was often done within ethnic communities. Each community served its own people - and no one from outside the community.

Voice 1

Edhi strongly disagreed with this kind of service. He believed it was not just. Since the beginning, his services have been open to any person in need. His way of service was not always easy. Community leaders often argued with him. And he lost a lot of support. However, he has always remained firm on this issue. In March of 2009, he told a reporter with the Daily Times news organization,

Voice 3

"You have to care for all beings created by God...My mission is to help any person in need."

Voice 2

At eighty-two years old, Edhi still works all the time. His hard work and service have saved, healed and served the lives of millions of people. Edhi's results are amazing. However, he started out with nothing more than his desire to serve. He told the Daily Times,

Voice 3

"I was young and uneducated. I did not have the resources to change the system. But, I had a desire to help those in need and help them get their rights. Even today, I am still helping them as much as I possibly can, and in every possible way. I talk to them, guide them, and that is how I spend my day."

Voice 1

The writer of this program was Robin Basselin. The producer was Ryan Geertsma. All quotes were adapted and voiced by Spotlight. Computer users can visit our website at www.Radio.English.net. This program is called "Abdul Sattar Edhi."