Edhi-A Mortal Angel

Edhi had a cause to serve humanity without any prejudice and left a huge network that needs our support

Abdul Sattar Edhi’s name is self-explanatory. Edhi embodied selfless humanitarianism, providing welfare to the oppressed without discrimination in a nation-state of 200 million people that has struggled politically while fighting other wars. So, in many ways, the Edhi Foundation stepped in to fill the gaps left by the state, serving people for free. Edhi briefly worked as a peddler after emigrating to Karachi, Pakistan, and his family while partitioned from India. Then he sold cloth on the market before left and collecting funds by begging for a free medical dispensary. Shortly thereafter he established the Edhi Trust, a welfare center with a maternity home and an ambulance service. Ambulance service in Edhi was rapidly expanding following a flood of Pakistani donations from across the country.

The Edhi Foundation had the world’s largest fleet of private ambulances by 1997, with a fleet of 1500 vehicles. Today, the number of ambulances and Edhi Centers in the country has risen to over 1800. Edhi also spearheaded other services such as “free shrouding and burial of the deceased.” Shelter for the destitute, orphans, and handicapped people, free hospitals and dispensaries, drug rehabilitation, free wheelchairs, and crutches.

Learnings:

As part of the Amal career prep fellowship, we were assigned a project that required us to use problem-solving and strategic thinking skills to create a plan for collecting donations for the Edhi foundation. Amal provided us with this amazing opportunity to test the skills that we have learned by far in our fellowship to gather funds for the Edhi Foundation. This was the first time in our lives when instead of giving funds, we would be having first-hand experience in asking for funds. None of us had any prior experience in fundraising. Getting out of our comfort zones and accepting failures, we can accept failure but can’t accept not trying.

Failures are part of life, if you don’t fail you don’t learn and if you don’t learn you’ll never change and that’s where Amal problem-solving skills stepped in and using superpowers granted by Amal, we took ownership of the problem and after the After saad demise of Edhi Saab, we saw it as our responsibility to carry out his mission.

Challenges:

The biggest challenge we faced was the Covid-19 pandemic because it limited us to our houses and it was getting really tough to ask for donations.

1- Covid-19 pandemic limiting outdoor donation activities.

2- Had to give a very large pitch about Amal academy and this activity to convince them.

3- Rude behavior of some people that really rocked our emotion.

4- Some told us that the campaign is useless and if they wanted to donate, they could donate directly to Edhi.

5- Huge number of people told us that they already have donated or they don’t have money right now.

6- People accusing us of a fraudulent campaign even after showing them the permission letter.

Strategies:

To combat those challenges, we came up with innovative strategies like the following.

1- Using social media platforms such as WhatsApp, Facebook, and Instagram to post stories and contacting people for donations.

2- Reaching out to organizations by emailing them and letting them know about our cause.

3- Personally, reaching people out in our universities and localities.

4- Dividing circle members further into groups and setting individual goals of 5000-/ rupees, to reach our circle target of 50,000 rupees.

5- Asking people in our locality and passersby for donations.

6. By the end of this week we have collected Rs.24,580.

Outcome and Progress Report:

Reflection:

Hadith of Holy Prophet (SAWW), “The best among you is those that bring the greatest benefits to others.”

“Charity extinguishes sin as water extinguishes fire”

Like my Grandfather always said, “Paisa hath ki mail Hota hai agar zarorat main Kisi kay kaam na aya to kay faida aise paise ka”

If there was a scale to determine devotion and respect rightfully earned by an individual in this country of ours, Abdul Sattar Edhi would be on top of it by all means. I have always believed that there are bright places, even in the darkest of times and if there isn’t, you can be that bright place with infinite capacities.

“He had the fastest car, white and shiny

To heal the injury no matter how tiny”

Abdul Sattar Edhi was the pinnacle of Hope for everyone and hope is a good thing, maybe the best of things and no good thing ever dies.

This blog is a result of the collective effort of….

Ayesha siddiqa, Ridda khan, Kainat, Huma Gul, Wasim Ahmed, Hamza Amjad, Nazim saeed, Sohaib and Abdul Basit.