The Edhi Foundation () is a non-profit social welfare organization based in Pakistan. It was founded by Abdul Sattar Edhi in 1951, who served as the head of the organization until his death on 8 July 2016. Bilquis Edhi, a nurse by profession, used to oversee the maternity and adoption services of the foundation. The Edhi Foundation is headquartered in the city of Karachi. The Edhi Foundation provides 24-hour emergency assistance across the entirety of Pakistan and internationally. The foundation provides, among many other services, shelter for the destitute, hospitals and medical care, drug rehabilitation services, and national and international relief efforts. The organization's main focuses are emergency services, orphans, handicapped persons, women's shelters, education, healthcare, international community centres, refugees, missing persons, blood donation & drug rehabilitation banks, air ambulance services and marine and coastal services. The organization is known to serve those in need regardless of race, religious affiliation, and social status, and runs entirely on donations and volunteer efforts. While the Edhi Foundation's primary focus is in Pakistan as well as the rest of South Asia, it has an extensive presence throughout the Middle East and Africa. However, it has also provided financial and supplementary aid to countries in Europe and the Americas in the event of natural disasters (such as Hurricane Katrina in 2005) or other issues. As of 2020, the Edhi Foundation has international head offices present in the United States, United Kingdom, United Arab Emirates, Canada, Australia, Nepal, India, Bangladesh, and Japan. History In 1928, Abdul Sattar Edhi was born in Bantva, a town in the princely state of Bantva Manavadar in British India. In 1939, when he was 11 years old, Edhi's mother suffered a major stroke and became physically and mentally disabled. Shortly after this, Edhi dropped out of school to provide full-time care to his mother. At home, he would cater to her needs by bathing her, taking her to the bathroom, feeding her, and much more. He dedicated the following years of his life caring for her until she died in early 1947. Later that year, during the Partition of India, Edhi and his family fled to the newly established Dominion of Pakistan and settled down in Karachi. The combined experiences of caring for his mother as well as seeing the death and destruction due to the partition motivated Edhi to pursue the establishment of a major humanitarian organization in Pakistan.