Kuala Lumpur to Larkana: Helping Pakistani Families While You Live in Malaysia

Pakistanis in Malaysia include university students in Kuala Lumpur, Selangor and Penang, professionals, traders and workers. Malaysia’s own strong culture of zakat, managed through state religious bodies, means many here think carefully about how zakat is paid. Anyone who wishes to donate to Pakistan from Malaysia, the sections that follow show how Peace and Humanity Welfare Organization (PHWO) accepts money from overseas and applies it.

PHWO has no office, society, agent or collector in Malaysia. Its only premises are in Larkana, Sindh, and the families it helps in Pakistan never pay anything.

A word on zakat obligations in Malaysia

In Malaysia, zakat is administered by each state’s religious authority, and residents may have obligations or tax rebates linked to paying through those official channels. PHWO is not part of that system, and a gift to it will not count as zakat paid to a Malaysian state body or earn a Malaysian rebate. If you are unsure how your zakat should be divided between Malaysia and Pakistan, ask a scholar or your state zakat office. Many donors pay their Malaysian zakat as required and send additional sadaqah to Pakistan.

Sadaqah has no such rules. It can be given at any time, in any amount, to any cause, and it can help with needs that zakat cannot always cover, such as community projects. So if your zakat is already settled locally, a regular sadaqah gift to families in Pakistan is a simple and flexible way to keep supporting people back home. PHWO records every sadaqah gift separately and passes all of it on.

Who PHWO helps in Pakistan

People from every province write to PHWO: a mother in Lahore struggling with her children’s school fees, a young man in Dera Ismail Khan who needs a laptop to take online work, a family in Badin whose small savings vanished in a flood. Ration, debt relief and laptops are the most common requests. Each applicant sends a live photo, and volunteers check the details. When a need is confirmed and help can be given, PHWO arranges it; there is no promise before that.

Zakat and sadaqah at PHWO

Zakat received from Malaysia is placed in a ring-fenced fund for eligible people only and is never used for running costs. Sadaqah has a fund of its own and is handed over in full to people in need. The Programmes page describes PHWO’s areas of work. If you would rather support one household that has been checked, choose Sponsor a case.

Sending ringgit to PHWO

DuitNow, FPX, cards and PayPal cannot be used. The Donate page offers these routes:

• International wire transfer (telegraphic transfer) from a Malaysian bank to PHWO’s bank account in Pakistan. Licensed remittance companies that pay into Pakistani bank accounts are an alternative.
• Local Pakistani payment: a bank transfer to the UBL account, from your own Pakistani account or a relative’s.
• Goods delivered to the Larkana office when you visit.

PHWO receives rupees, so your ringgit are exchanged by the bank or remittance company. Compare their rates and fees first; they vary. Only use the account details printed on PHWO’s site. After paying, complete the short form PHWO provides for donors abroad. It checks the payment against its records and sends you a numbered receipt by email.

Malaysia is three hours ahead of Pakistan. A message sent from your PHWO account after lunch in Kuala Lumpur arrives during the Pakistani morning.

Ramadan and fitrana

Ramadan in Malaysia is a season of generosity, from bazaar Ramadan stalls to iftar shared with neighbours. If your zakat year ends then, the Zakat calculator can help total your savings, gold, silver and business goods. Fitrana for Pakistan must reach families before Eid prayer, and international transfers take time, so send it during the first half of the month. If you are travelling home for Eid, you can also pay locally once you land, by bank transfer from a Pakistani account, and confirm the gift in the usual way.

Students and fundraisers in Malaysia

Pakistani students at Malaysian universities often form close societies. These can be good places to share PHWO’s work, especially its support for students in Pakistan who need fees or laptops. PHWO welcomes fundraisers abroad; share the donate page so each person pays for themselves, and please do not gather cash in PHWO’s name. Legal aid is for advocates practising in Pakistan. Register on Volunteer for a certificate, a letter of appreciation and an experience letter.

Donate to Pakistan from Malaysia safely

Malaysia regulates public fundraising, and PHWO does not collect money there. A transfer from your own account to Pakistan is a personal payment; your bank can explain any rules.

Watch out for appeals that ask you to pay an individual’s account or e-wallet, that cannot give a verifiable address, or that rush you. The organisation’s sole address: House 704/C in Larkana’s Lahori Muhalla. Its registration in Pakistan as a welfare agency is in process, and it has no Malaysian registration.

Services for your relatives back home

If family members in Pakistan are struggling, they can apply themselves via Request help. For family disputes, Free legal aid connects them with volunteer advocates. Families of every religion seeking a spouse for a son or daughter can use the Rishta Desk at no cost; each profile is checked with a live selfie and reviewed by PHWO staff, and the desk leaves every decision to the families without promising a match.

Public services in Malaysia you can also use

• Your state zakat authorityOfficial zakat collection and rebates in Malaysia (varies by state)
• Ministry of Foreign Affairs, PakistanFind the Pakistan High Commission in Kuala Lumpur

These are public or independent services, listed to help you. They are not part of PHWO.

Frequently asked questions