POCATELLO — Since Fahim Rahim and his brother, Naeem, came to Pocatello they have dedicated themselves to philanthropy.

Immigrants from Pakistan, both doctors received the prestigious Ellis Island Medal of Honor by the National Ethical Coalition of Organizations in 2011.

“The main idea behind this is to motivate more people to build bridges along cultural divisions, religious barriers and work towards community improvement in different social areas of need,” Fahim said at the time.

Fahim's efforts to improve communities has expanded beyond the important efforts here in Southeast Idaho to the world through the programs sponsored by the JRM Foundation for Humanity which the brothers founded in 2010.

At a local level, the efforts of the JRM Foundation have included support for the victims of the Charlotte Fire in 2012, the annual Hometown Heroes Medal presentations and numerous contributions to the Pocatello Senior Citizen Center, Idaho Food Bank and other organizations that help people locally.

This past year, presented $13,500 in donations to a variety of area organizations in Pocatello and Idaho Falls on behalf of JRM.

The awards included: $2,000 for Bright Tomorrows Child Advocacy Center; $1,500, Family Services Alliance; $1,000, Pocatello Free Clinic; $2,000 Idaho Food Bank Backpack Program; $2,000, Idaho Meth Project; $1,000, All Under One Roof; $1,000, Habitat for Humanity in Idaho Falls; $1,000, Domestic Violence Intervention Center in Idaho Falls; $1,000, Pocatello POW*MIA Awareness Association; $500, Pocatello Animal Shelter; and $500, Bannock Humane Society.

But the reach of the RJM Foundation is global as well.

Rahim, his brother and their respective families have been involved in a number of international humanitarian efforts. They include Hike4Humanity, Little Sisters Fund, Childlife Foundation and the Women's World Health Initiative.

For the past two years, Fahim has participated in the Hike4Humanity effort that has brought medical services to the remote regions of Nepal in the Himalyas.

Fahim took a group as part of a JRM Foundation for Humanity and Faces of Hope expedition to provide medical aid to remote village in Nepal last year and one of the things that stood out was illness that could be prevented — wood smoke inhalation.

He joined forces with Pocatello contractor Dave Coffin, who also made the humanitarian trip to Nepal last year: Craig Sandstrom of Bully Dog Technologies in the Gate City; and Rick Eskleson, owner of Partner Steel Co., to create a prototype for a wood burning stove that could be built in Nepal and carried into remote villages to create a safer cooking an heating environment for the indigenous population.

“I'm really excited about this,” Rahim said. “The world of philanthropy has to change and look at empowerment.”

That's why the stoves will ultimately be built in Nepal and small enterprises to sell them will be set up in the villages.

“The whole country will be a part of it,” the Pocatello kidney specialist said.

JRM also brought one of the films shown at the Sun Valley “The Family of Women Film Festival” and its producer last month to Pocatello.

The film was “Pakistan's Hidden Shame,” a powerful documentary about the sexual exploitation and abuse of many thousands of poor and vulnerable children in Pakistan's north-western city of Peshawar Province where Rahim was born.

In 2005, brothers Fahim and Naeem Rahim founded the Idaho Kidney Institute in Pocatello.

“Our parents always raised us with a point of view that you can't just take from the world, you have to give back,” Rahim said.