Pakistani Philanthropist’s Foundation Cares for Karachi’s Destitute

National Public Radio profiles Abdul Sattar Edhi, a Pakistani philanthropist and father of a cradle-to-grave care network in the sprawling city of Karachi.

Mr. Edhi, 82, arrived in Karachi more than 60 years ago amid the mass migration of Muslims from India to newly independent Pakistan. Shortly thereafter he began the work that evolved into the Edhi Foundation, which buries the bodies of the poor, cares for abandoned newborns, runs two maternity wards, and offers other services to needy families.

His philanthropic network, supported mostly by donations from ordinary Pakistanis, has raised more than $36-million so far this year.