Abdul Sattar Edhi

Founder of the world's largest volunteer ambulance network operating on zero government funding

Called "Pakistan's Mother Teresa", Abdul Sattar Edhi (1928-2016) built a humanitarian empire starting with a single donated ambulance in 1951. His Edhi Foundation now operates:

• 1,800+ ambulances across Pakistan
• Orphanages serving 20,000+ children annually
• Animal shelters and drug rehabilitation centers

What made Edhi revolutionary was his radical inclusivity:

"No religion is higher than humanity" became his operational motto

He personally bathed corpses of AIDS victims and rescued abandoned infants via his "baby cradles" program. Despite handling millions in donations, Edhi lived in a spartan room adjacent to his Karachi headquarters, owning just two sets of clothes.

Edhi's network played crucial roles during:
• 2005 Kashmir earthquake relief
• 2009 Swat Valley refugee crisis
• 2014 Peshawar school massacre response

As documented in his foundation's records, the organization has saved over 1 million infant lives through abandonment prevention programs. His legacy continues through 25,000 volunteers maintaining 24/7 emergency services across Pakistan.