Edhi, was born on February 28th 1928 in a small village of Bantva near Joona Garh in the Gujarat district of then British-ruled India but moved to Karachi shortly after Pakistan was formed.

Edhi was deeply affected by the death of his mother when he was 19. He never finished school but later said that the world of suffering became his tutor.

He noticed that many Pakistanis lacked medicine, education, and other essentials, and he made it his life's mission to help others. In 1951, he established the Edhi Foundation, which is funded solely by private donations.

By the time of his death on July 8th 2016, Edhi was registered as a parent or guardian of nearly 20,000 children.

It was announced that the State Bank of Pakistan would issue a commemorative coin of 50 rupee (38p) in memory of Edhi as a small token of appreciation for his selfless services for the country.