ALLAMA IQBAL OPEN

UNIVERSITY

Course Business CommunicationCode (8570)Semester Autumn, 2014Level MBA Marketing (3½ Years)Tutor Sir Raza IqbalName waQas ilYasRoll # BA 582702

Assignment # 02Topic =Select a Public Sector Organization and analyze how Ethics in Communication can overcome Religious Intolerance.

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ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

All gratitude and thanks to almighty “ALLAH” the

gracious, the most merciful and beneficent who gave

me courage to undertake and complete this task. I am

very much obliged to my ever caring and loving parents

whose prayers have enabled to reach this stage.

I am grateful to almighty ALLAH who made me able to

complete the work presented in this report. It is due to

HIS unending mercy that this work moved towards

success.

I am highly indebted to my course instructor for

providing me an opportunity to learn about the “which

is vital ingredient” of MBA program. I am very grateful

to my teacher (Sir Raza Iqbal) for providing me

guideline for the completion of this report.

I feel great pride and pleasure on the accomplishment of this report.

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ABSTRACT

This report is the Practical part of the most vital

practice of our MBA-Marketing program. The sole

objective of my activity is to familiarize with the

practical manipulation of business organization. This

report has been written to know how big organizations

like EIDHI TRUST Pakistan manage their teams to

achieve their common goals. In the first phase of the report there is the general introduction about the company and then different terms have been explained, then the mission, values, different services and different strategies of the organization have been explained. In the next part, SWOT analysis of the firm have been done by the help of which it is identified that what are the strong areas of the company and where it lacks so that it can improve, and then in the end most important my experience while visiting in the EIDHI TRUST.

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DEDICATION This report is dedicated to the greatest man

in the world that shows us the right path.

Who is the great patron of the mankind that

is Holy Prophet Hazrat Muhammad

(PBUH). I would also like to dedicate this small effort

of extract to my Parents and Teachers. They

have always been a shining star to look

upon, to give light and to show me the

directions whenever I am lost. May Allah

give them more strength and long life to

guide me forever. Ameen!

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Table of Contents

Introduction of Topic 06Practical Review of Company 10Vision Statement 11Mission Statement 12Application of Topic 14SWOT Analysis 17 Conclusion 21Recommendations 21References 22

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Introduction of Topic:

Select a Public Sector Organization and analyze how Ethics in Communication can overcome Religious Intolerance. Inter-cultural communication principles guide the process of exchanging meaningful and unambiguous information across cultural boundaries, in a way that preserves mutual respect and minimizes antagonism. For these purposes, culture is a shared system of symbols, beliefs, attitudes, values, expectations, and norms of behavior. It refers to coherent groups of people whether resident wholly or partly within state territories, or existing without residence in any particular territory. Hence, these principles may have equal relevance when a tourist seeks help, where two well-established independent corporations attempt to merge their operations, and where politicians attempt to negotiate world peace. Two factors have raised the importance of this topic: Improvements in communication and transportation technology have made it possible for previously stable cultures to meet in unstructured situations, e.g. the internet opens lines of communication without mediation, while budget airlines transplant ordinary citizens into unfamiliar milieu. Experience proves that merely crossing cultural boundaries can be considered threatening, while positive attempts to interact may provoke defensive responses. Misunderstanding may be compounded by either an exaggerated sensitivity to possible slights, or an exaggerated and over-protective fear of giving offence;

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Some groups believe that the phenomenon of globalization has reduced cultural diversity and so reduced the opportunity for misunderstandings, but characterizing people as a homogeneous market is simplistic. One product or brand only appeals to the material aspirations of one self-selecting group of buyers, and its sales performance will not affect the vast multiplicity of factors that may separate the cultures. Important Sub Topics Important sub topics are: Rights, Values, and Needs Some cultural characteristics will be easy to identify, e.g. whether people are conscious of status or make displays of material wealth. But many rights are assumed, values are implied, and needs are unspoken, (e.g. for safety, security, love, a sense of belonging to a group, self-esteem, and the ability to attain one's goals). For example, issues of personal security, dignity, and control will be very different as between an able-bodied and a disabled person. Similarly, there may be problems of respect when a person from a rigidly class-based culture meets a meritocratic, or where there is racism, sexism or religious intolerance in play. In such situations, identity is fundamental when disputing the proper role or "place" of the other, about who is in control of their lives, and how they present themselves to the outside world. But the reality is more deeply rooted in power relationships: about who is on top of the social, economic, and/or political hierarchy. Family members or long term rivals may be obsessed with their mutual competition. Intercultural Communication Ethics Communication is something that no one can escape and it comes in many forms. Whenever a person from one culture sends a message to be processed from a different culture, intercultural communication is present. It is important to recognize when this happens so you are able to make wise decisions as to how you will communicate. Intercultural communication ethics incorporates learning about different goods, the discourse that arises from and shapes the texture of those goods, and practices that enable constructive

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conversation in a postmodern world of difference. In any ethical dilemma situation, we have to make hard choices in considering the intent, the action, the means, the consequence, the end goal, the situation, and the embedded cultural contexts of the case. In an intercultural decision-making context, in particular, we often have to make difficult choices between upholding our own cultural beliefs and values and considering the values of the other culture. Acknowledging these different goods, values, and beliefs will help one when interacting with another person from a different culture. A knowledge of intercultural communication, and the ability to use it effectively, can help bridge cultural differences, mitigate problems, and assist in achieving more harmonious, productive relations. This is especially important in today's world where the market is global. Assumptions People may misinterpret each other's motives. For example, one group may assume that they are simply exchanging information about what they believe, but the other believes that they are negotiating a change in behavior. This is most likely to arise when the parties are not completely honest with each other from the outset. Individuals may wish to protect their privacy, corporations may be concerned about industrial espionage, and politicians may be bound by requirements of secrecy in the national interest. Nevertheless, clarifying the purpose of the interaction is essential to eliminating confusion. The Situation If time is not a factor and those interacting approach their meetings with good will and patience, effective communication is more likely. But, if the parties are under pressure (whether generated by external circumstances or internal needs), emotions may color the exchange. Prejudice is a short-cut decision-making tool. In a crisis, fear and anger may trigger more aggressive tactics, particularly if the meeting is being staged under the gaze of the news media. Improving Intercultural Communication It is essential that people research the cultures and communication conventions of those whom they propose to meet. This will minimize the risk of making the elementary mistakes. It is also prudent to set a clear agenda so that

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everyone understands the nature and purpose of the interaction. When language skills are unequal, clarifying one's meaning in five ways will improve communication:

• Avoid using slang and idioms, choosing words that will convey only the most specific denotative meaning;

• Listen carefully and, if in doubt, ask for confirmation of understanding (particularly important if local accents and pronunciation are a problem);

• Recognize that accenting and intonation can cause meaning to vary significantly; and

• Respect the local communication formalities and styles, and watch for any changes in body language.

• Investigate their culture's perception of your culture by reading literature about your culture through their eyes before entering into communication with them. This will allow you to prepare yourself for projected views of your culture you will be bearing as a visitor in their culture.

If it is not possible to learn the other's language, it is expedient to show some respect by learning a few words. In all important exchanges, a translator can convey the message. When writing, the choice of words represent the relationship between the reader and the writer so more thought and care should be invested in the text since it may well be thoroughly analyzed by the recipient.

Practical study

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Eidhi Foundation

Abdul Sattar Edhi, is head of the Edhi Foundation. Together with his wife, Bilquis Edhi, he received 1986 Ramon Magsaysay Award for Public Service. He is also the recipient of the Lenin Peace Prize and the Balzan Prize. Edhi is of the Memon, Muslim community. On September 22, 2010 Edhi was awarded honorary degree of Doctorate by University of Bedfordshire. Edhi was born in 1928, Bantva in the Gujarat, British India. His family migrated to Karachi, Pakistan in 1947 and in 1951 he purchased a small shop where he opened a small dispensary with the help of a doctor who taught him basic medical care. Edhi foundation is the most trusted name in Pakistan when it comes to relief work within distressed areas in Pakistan and the rest of the world. Edhi foundation is a NON Profit organization that has been in the business of providing social services like medical care, emergency services, air ambulances, burial services, mental habitats, old homes, child welfare services, abused women safe houses and training facilities for the disadvantaged. Edhi's founder is Abdul Sattar Edhi who established the first clinic in 1951. The Edhi Foundation is a non-profit social welfare program in Pakistan, founded by Abdul Sattar Edhi in 1951. Edhi is the head of the organization and his wife Bilquis, a nurse, oversees

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the maternity and adoption services of the foundation. Its headquarters are in Karachi, Pakistan. The Edhi Foundation provides 24-hour emergency assistance across the nation of Pakistan and abroad. The Foundation provides, among many other services, shelter for the destitute, free hospitals and medical care, drug rehabilitation services, and national and international relief efforts. Its main focuses are Emergency Services, Orphans, Handicapped Persons, Shelters, Education, Healthcare, International Community Centers, Blood & Drug Bank, air ambulance services, Marine and Coastal Services. Vision of the Foundation Edhi plans mass campaigns against narcotics, illiteracy, population control and basic hygiene. Edhi's wife Bilquees works in the areas of maternity centre management. She runs 6 nursing training schools in Karachi, which provide basic training courses. These centers have so far trained over 40,000 qualified nurses. Some 20,000 abandoned babies have been saved and about a million babies have been delivered in the Edhi maternity homes. Bilquees also supervises the food that is supplied to the Edhi hospitals in Karachi. The total number of orphans in Edhi housing is 50,000 and Edhi's two daughters and one son assist in the running of the orphanages and the automation of these institutions. Edhi's vision is to create an institution that will carry on his life's work and survive for a long time to come. His dream is that of a Pakistan as a modern welfare state, which provides a safety net for the poor and needy while providing basic health and education with vocational skills. A welfare state Edhi feels is the only way to tackle Pakistan’s myriad social problems. He hopes that one day; Pakistan will be a model for other developing countries.

Mission of the foundation

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Edhi established his first welfare center and then the Edhi Trust. What started as one man operating from a single room in Karachi is now the Edhi Foundation. The foundation has over 300 centers across the country, in big cities, small towns and remote rural areas, providing medical aid, family planning and emergency assistance. They own air ambulances, providing quick access to far-flung areas. In Karachi alone, the Edhi Foundation runs 8 hospitals providing free medical care, eye hospitals, diabetic centers, surgical units, a 4- bed cancer hospital and mobile dispensaries. In addition to these the Foundation also manages two blood banks in Karachi. As with other Edhi services, employed professionals and volunteers run these. The foundation has a Legal aid department, which provides free services and has secured the release of countless innocent prisoners. Commissioned doctors visit jails on a regular basis and also supply food and other essentials to the inmates. There are 15 “Apna Ghar" ["Our Home"] homes for the destitute children, runaways, and psychotics. The foundation also has an education scheme, which apart from teaching reading and writing covers various vocational activities such as driving, pharmacy and para-medical training. The emphasis is on selfsufficiency. The Edhi Foundation has branches in several countries where they provide relief to refugees in the USA, UK, Canada, Japan, and Bangladesh. In 1991 the Foundation provided aid to victims of the Gulf war and earthquake victims in Iran and Egypt. The Edhi center is a non-profit social welfare program in Pakistan, founded by Abdul Sattar Edhi in 1951. Edhi is the head of the organization and his wife Bilquis, a nurse, oversees the maternity and adoption services of the center. Its headquarters are in Karachi, Pakistan. The Edhi center provides the old homes for the people who are old, alone and have no family member left behind to take care of them. Edhi also privides home for the people who have lost their houses or missing. Services and objectives The name Edhi is omnipresent in Karachi with his eponymous ambulances parked every few kilometres in this bustling metropolis but the man himself is elusive. While the

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ambulances may just be a call away, it takes several calls over seven days to reach the person whom all of Pakistan reveres – Abdul Sattar Edhi. “Edhi saab, has left for a far-flung village in Balochistan half-an-hour ago. There has been a disease outbreak with some deaths reported. Call later,” says the operator from an Edhi centre. Another try, three days later, gets a response that they had lost touch with Edhi. Next day, thinking that the renowned social worker was probably trying to avoid an Indian reporter, I rope in a local to get an appointment. Even this ploy fails as he gets a worrying answer: Edhi saab was untraceable and the coast guard had been roped in to look for him. On my final day in Karachi, I make a last ditch effort. This time, I was directed to another office. Years of working among the masses of Karachi have honed his judgment and gut feel of what works and what does not. These street smarts have held him in good stead while building the organisation to support his activities. When questions were raised about accountability of funds, he hit upon a novel idea: take personal responsibility. The dispensary and the van sported just one name – Edhi. He announced that all money was remitted to him, not any organization or any group. If a donor was in doubt, he would be refunded, and moreover, Edhi chose not to make himself answerable to donors. He would unilaterally decide the method of its dispensation. In one fell swoop, the questioning voices were silenced.

Destitute Homes Welfare Centers High Ways Project (25 KILOMETER) Ware Houses Field Ambulance Services Air Ambulance Services

Review of theoretical and practical situation with respect to topic The aging man in mud-splattered, frayed clothes has barely lowered his body onto the sidewalk when the money starts

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piling up. Heeding his call for donations for flood victims, Pakistanis of all classes rush to hand over cash to Abdul Sattar Edhi, whose years of dedication to the poor have made him a national icon. He thanks each donor, some of whom ask to have their photo taken next to him. Four hours later, the crowd remains — and the equivalent of $15,000 is overflowing from a pink basket in front of him. Edhi has been helping the destitute and sick for more than 60 years, filling the hole left by a state that has largely neglected the welfare of its citizens. Part Mother Teresa, part Gandhi, with a touch of Marx, he is the face of humanitarianism in Pakistan. Funded by donations from fellow citizens, his 250 centers across the country take in orphans, the mentally ill, unwanted newborns, drug addicts, the homeless, the sick and the aged. His fleet of ambulances picks up victims of terrorist bombings, gang shootings, car accidents and natural disasters. Pakistan's corruption-riddled government acknowledges Edhi and other charities do the work that in other nations the state performs. The country has no national health service, insurance program or welfare system, and few state-run orphanages or old people's homes. The foundation offers an alternative to charitable work performed by hardline Islamist groups in Pakistan, some with alleged links to terrorism. The spread of these organizations has triggered concerns in the West, including their work in the aftermath of this summer's floods. Edhi is a devout Muslim, but critical of Islamic clerics in general, not just extremists. He says they focus on ritual, preaching hellfire and defending the faith against imagined enemies, rather than helping the poor — which he says should be the cornerstone of all faiths. The 80-something Edhi — he and his children disagree on his exact age — lives with his wife, herself a charity worker, in a tiny room in one of his welfare centers in Karachi, a bustling port city. His bed is a one-inch thick mattress on a piece of wood. "I am a beggar for the poor," he says, stained teeth showing in a wide smile, eyes sparkling after a week touring flood-hit areas. "Serving humanity is the biggest jihad. It is the real thing." Edhi deals with birth and death, and almost everything in between. Just above his bedroom, a maternity ward and an

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orphanage are home to 18 children, many of them abandoned by their mothers in cradles left outside his centers. They wear hand-me-downs from the city's rich. Edhi's wife, Bilquis, tries to get the children adopted, but few Pakistanis want to take girls or older children, she says.On a recent afternoon, the kids shouted out English nursery rhymes and danced. They then sat crosslegged on the floor, drinking tea from plastic mugs and eating spicy pastries and sticky sweets that an anonymous benefactor had dropped off.The home was clean and bright, with plenty of toys and loving staff. But there was no place to play outside, and the roar of motorbikes from the lanes below was a constant backdrop.Across town, workers at the Edhi morgue were dealing with latest influx of bodies. They receive around 25 a day, half of which are never claimed — the city's unloved and unknown. Working quickly but carefully, they cut the clothes from the bodies, lather them with a bar of soap from head to toe, rinse them with water from a jug, then wrap them in a white sheet. The bodies are bussed across town, prayed over and buried in unmarked graves.The body of American journalist Daniel Pearl, killed by al-Qaida terrorists in Karachi in 2002, was picked up by an Edhi ambulance and taken to the morgue, the largest in the city of 14 million people.The morgue is attached to a hospital for the homeless, a dispensary, a shelter for boys and women and children, even a wedding hall for the marriages arranged for children who have been looked after by the foundation. The smell of baking bread from an oven that churns out 9,000 loaves a day fills the air. "The poor can come here and get a solution to all their problems," says Ejal Hassan Zaidi, who had accompanied a neighbor to the morgue to collect the body of his 3-year-old daughter, killed in a hit-andrun incident hours earlier. "From the cradle to the grave."Born in what is now India, Edhi and his parents moved to Pakistan in 1947 when that country was created as a Muslim state at the end of British colonial rule. The family was quite well off — his father was a traveling salesman — and socially progressive.In his biography, Edhi credits his mother for setting him on a humanitarian path. She urged him to give half his pocket money to someone poor every day and rebuked him if he didn't.

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"'You have a selfish heart, one that has nothing to give,'" he remembers her saying. "'What kind of human being are you? Look at the greed in your eyes. Already you have started robbing the poor. How much more will you rob from them in your lifetime?"When she was dying, he looked after her, bathing her emaciated body and washing and braiding her hair — experiences that would also shape his life. "The first night she spent in the grave, I dedicated my life to the service of mankind," he says.Edhi started small. In 1951, he bought an eight-foot-square shop in a slum neighborhood in Karachi that he converted into a dispensary. Seven years later he bought a van that he used as an ambulance, writing "Poor Man's Van" on both sides.He became intimately involved in the business of caring for the sick and dying. He would drive the ambulance to the scene of an accident to pick up the bodies, administer injections during a flu outbreak and travel across the country to help after earthquakes and other natural disasters.Edhi's record of round-the-clock service and frugal lifestyle attracted donations, and he soon had a fleet of 14 ambulances. In the 1980s and 90s, he opened centers and ambulance services throughout the country. He donated $200,000 to releif efforts after Hurricane Katrina, and his workers have also helped out in disasters in Asia and the Middle East.

SWOT AnalysisStrength

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The foundation has a Legal aid department, which provides free services and has secured the release of countless innocent prisoners. Commissioned doctors visit jails on a regular basis and also supply food and other essentials to the inmates. There are 15 " Apna Ghar" ["Your Homes"] homes for the destitute children, runaways, and psychotics and the Edhi Foundation states that over the years 3 million children have been rehabilitated and reunited with their families thorough the Edhi network. The foundation also has an education scheme, which apart from teaching reading and writing covers various vocational activities such as driving, pharmacy and pare-medical training. The emphasis is on self-sufficiency. The Edhi Foundation has branches in several countries where they provide relief to refugees in the USA, UK, Canada, Japan, and Bangladesh. In 1991 the Foundation provided aid to victims of the Gulf war and earthquake victims in Iran and Egypt.Edhi plans mass campaigns against narcotics, illiteracy, population control and basic hygiene. Edhi’s wife Bilquis works in the areas of maternity centre management. She runs 6 nursing training schools in Karachi, which provide basic training courses. These centers have so far trained over 40,000 qualified nurses. Some 20,000 abandoned babies have been saved and about a million babies have been delivered in the Edhi maternity homes. Bilquis also supervises the food that is supplied to the Edhi hospitals in Karachi.The total number of orphans in Edhi housing is 50,000 and Edhi’s two daughters and one son assist in the running of the orphanages and the automation of these institutions.Edhi’s vision is to create an institution that will carry on his life’s work and survive for a long time to come.

Weaknesses

Evacuation of serious casualties from the sites of accidents, riots and calamity affected areas.Transportation of Physicians and Specialists to remote areas. Experience indicates that even volunteer surgeons

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cannot be expected to travel twelve to eighteen hours by road as required in many cases.An air ambulance addresses this problem and enables full utilisation of the volunteer capacity available to the Foundation. Inter-hospital transfer of patients requiring specialist’s treatment and immediate attention.Quick transportation of blood and human vital organs.Search and rescue of stranded people in deserts, mountains, floods and coastal areas.Geological surveys of underground water in the famine-stricken areas of Thar, Chohistan and Utthal.Medical and other assistance to companies/organisations carrying out exploration/research in remote areas of the country.Air-dropping of food supplies for stranded people on ships, and in areas affected by wars and calamities.All welfare centres of major cities in Pakistan regularly keep an updated list of donors of all blood groups and conduct campaigns for enlisting more donors for collection of blood.Blood is pooled in hospitals from the volunteer donors and is provided free of cost in cases of heart surgeries and other major operations to poor patients.Two Blood Banks, one at Karachi and the other at Mirpur, have proper facilities for storing and screening blood, from where hundreds of pints of screened blood is being regularly dispensed to the government hospitals.

Threats

Future challenges are “terrorist attacks from nationalist and terrorist groups, also donations inflow to Edhi foundation in the future” (Edhi 2009). Another challenge Abdul Sattar Edhi talked about was lack of well-educated and professional people coming to his organization.

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According to Dr. Edhi “educated young people are not coming to welfare work, only women are coming”. Edhi foundation is growing and becoming complex organization, therefore he needs well educated and professional people to come and develop these systems.Social change and transformation by example and dedication are great motivations for Edhi, and he has found a way to engage in this effort while sidestepping the elite-mass division that plagues everyday Pakistani politics.He frequently makes assertions that his foundation’s work is Islamic, while decrying many existing policies and processes because they lack authentic roots in religion and principle.Edhi uses a religious vocabulary and believes in religiously grounded moral, social, and political precepts. Given the competition in the market for donors and donations, it is unsurprising that he and his organization have been criticized for lacking religious authenticity.The Edhi Foundation needs resources volunteer workers, supplies, and money. The Foundation receives five million rupees (roughly $100,000 USD, a large sum in Pakistan) in yearly nongovernmental donations.On principle, as a way to eschew political entanglements, the Foundation does not accept funds from government agencies. The Edhi Foundation’s famous claim is that even in disaster and violence stricken areas, Edhi relief workers are given free passage and access, because the organization has the reputation for being solely humanitarian rather than partisan or political.The problem extends beyond the Muslim community and “Islamic” charities. In Hurricane Katrina’s aftermath, Diane Rehm's National Public Radio show (September 7, 2005) discussed possible fraud or mismanagement in American charities. One panelist advised that reputation matters, so donors should give to the biggest charities – Red Cross, Salvation Army – which have the best-established internal and external audit features too.Thus, fraud-related problems for donors certainly extend beyond the developing world. Critically, though, the “reputation” referred to in the United States is not the leader’s personal integrity as much as the charity’s

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reputation for transparency and accounting for how received donations were used.

Opportunities

His van became his advertisement and soon he came to be known for his work with the poor. As a consequence, donations started pouring in and his operations expanded, employing additional nurses and staff. It was here that Edhi met his wife Bilquis who was a trainee nurse at the dispensary.They were married in 1966. Bilquis became the ideal wife for Edhi, totally committed to welfare work.Today the Foundation has over 600 ambulances located all over the country and it stands out as the largest ambulance service on the whole country.The response time and services the ambulances provide are unparalleled – Simply Superb. Edhi Ambulances go to places where even government agencies hesitate to venture. Whatsoever the nature and magnitude of the calamity/incident may be, Edhi Ambulances are there within minutes, if not seconds. According to the Guinness Book of World Records, as of 1997, Edhi Foundation's ambulance service is the largest volunteer ambulance service in the world.The Edhi Foundation is the first of its kind in South Asia that owns air ambulances, providing quick access to far-flung areas. Whether it is a train accident or a bomb blast, Edhi ambulances are the first to arrive. The foundation relies on the support of its 3, 500 workers and thousands of volunteers who form the backbone of the organization.

Conclusion Edhi Foundation is the largest and most organized social welfare system in Pakistan and it is a unique example of what ordinary people can achieve through sincerity of purpose, dedication and perseverance. By focusing on alleviation of human sufferings, Edhi Foundation has broken the religious, geographical and racial barriers, thus fostering the notion of welfare for all mankind. The recognitions received by Dr. Edhi include the International awards like the Ramon Magsaysay

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Award for Public Service, Lenin Peace Prize, International Balzan Prize for Humanity, Life Time Achievement Award, Honorary Doctorate Degree by IBA Karachi and various national awards like Nishan-e-Imtiaz, Human Rights Award, Shield of Honor and the Pakistan Civic Award etc. His life’s work restores out flickering faith in humanity and his example inspires us towards making a personal revolution, so that the collective spirit may be strengthened.

Recommendations He has a vision to help others; he has a vision of establishing a chain of welfare centers and hospitals that could be opened to alleviate the pain of those suffering from illness and neglect. He also thought of the inhuman treatment meted out to the mentally ill, the insane and the disabled persons. Even at this early age, he felt personally responsible for taking on the challenge of developing a system of services to reduce human miseries. The task was huge; he had no resources. But it was something that he had to do even if he had to walk to the streets with a cap in hand to beg for this purpose. He is most respected philanthropist of Pakistan who is also known in the entire world for his international humanitarian work. He is respected by all the Pakistanis and many rich people are now helping him by giving donation to his foundation. So he set up a small medical Centre of his own, sleeping on the cement bench outside his shop so that even those who came late at night could be served. But he also had to face the enmity of the Memons, and became convinced they were capable of having him killed. For safety, and in search of knowledge, he set out on an overland journey to Europe, begging all the way. One morning, he awoke on a bench at Rome railway station to discover his shoes had been stolen. He was not bothered, considering them inessential. Nevertheless, the next day an elderly lady gave him a pair of gumboots, two sizes too large, and Mr. Edhi wobbled about in them for the remainder of his journey. Edhi plans mass campaigns against narcotics, illiteracy, population control and basic hygiene. Edhi’s wife Bilquees works in the areas of maternity centre management. She runs 6 nursing training schools in Karachi, which provide basic training courses. These centers have so far trained over 40,000

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qualified nurses. Some 20,000 abandoned babies have been saved and about a million babies have been delivered in the Edhi maternity homes. Bilquees also supervises the food that is supplied to the Edhi hospitals in Karachi. The total number of orphans in Edhi housing is 50,000 and Edhi’s two daughters and one son assist in the running of the orphanages and the automation of these institutions.

References:

U.S. Constitution and Federal Statutes www.edhifoundation.com www.edhi.org/about-us.html

Personal observationsRelevant book materialwww.pakistantoday.com.pk

Edhi Official Website Edhi Foundation Abdul Sattar Edhi: A Tribute

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