Organization Resources

Problems faced by the developed and the developing countries in the area of welfare services demand radically defferent approaches. Whereas, the developed countries are putting the responsibility primarily on the government, the developing countries are struggling to mobilize their ownresources or look for foreign assistance for this purpose. At best, it is to be hoped that there could be coordinated efforts between the private and the public sector for provision of the needed welfare services through the most economical and effective use of financial, human and technical resources. Edhi Foundation jas been successful in developing a model of welfare services in a large number of areas where the Foundation suppliments and supports the government system by mobilizing community resources without burdening the public exchequer.

In actual practice, the organizational setup of the Foundation has been constantly in the process of shaping itself to suit the requirements of its ever expanding network of services. Being outside the formal bureaucratic setup, it has the plasmatic flexibility to mould itself in response to the exigencies of the situation. The ingredients of the current resources of the Edhi Foundation are:

1. Volunteer Base

Edhi Foundation is run entirely with the help of volunteers. There are around three thousand volunteers, comprising zonal heads, workers at several Edhi Homes, clerks at the Edhi Centers, workers at maternity homes and drivers for the ambulances. Although these volunteers get subsistence allowance for their services, the compensation is not in the form of salary.

2. Donations

Voluntary donations from individuals ranging from Rs. 5 to many hundreds of thousands of rupees, support the Foundation's activities. The emphasis is on individual social masses. Contributions are also made in kind, in the form of food, clothing, medicines and animal hides.

3. Management Style

Management of all funds is centralized, and remains in the exclusive control of Edhi and his wife who are personally involved in all forms of operations of the Foundation. They are associated with the raising of funds from home and abroad. Edhi himself drives an ambulance, makes rounds of the city and goes for surprise checks of various centers.