Oslo to Larkana: How Norwegian-Pakistani Donors Can Support Families in Need

Norway’s Pakistani community goes back several decades, and many families, especially around Oslo, are now in their second or third generation. Young Norwegian Pakistanis are often keen to give in a way that is transparent and personal. For anyone planning to donate to Pakistan from Norway, here is how giving works with Peace and Humanity Welfare Organization (PHWO).

PHWO is a volunteer-supported Pakistani organisation with a single office in Larkana, Sindh. There is no PHWO forening, office, spokesperson or collector in Norway. Whatever PHWO provides to families inside Pakistan comes at no cost to them.

Who your gift can reach

Requests to PHWO come from across Pakistan, including Gujrat, Kharian and Jhelum, the districts that many Norwegian Pakistani families trace their roots to, as well as Sindh, Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. People ask most often for food supplies, for relief from debt, and for laptops to continue education or earn online. Medical bills, fees, rent and disaster damage are also common.

Applicants share a live photo. Volunteers check the file and may call. If the need is confirmed and PHWO can meet it, help is arranged; if not, it is not. Nobody receives a promise when they apply.

Separate funds for zakat and sadaqah

PHWO treats zakat as a trust. It is held apart from other money, given only to recipients who qualify, and never used to meet running costs. Sadaqah has a separate fund, and all of it reaches people in need. The Programmes page lists the eight fields PHWO works in. For donors who would like to focus on one reviewed family, Sponsor a case is the place to look.

How to donate to Pakistan from Norway

Vipps, cards and PayPal are not accepted. The Donate page gives these choices:

1. International wire transfer: an utenlandsbetaling from your Norwegian nettbank, sent by SWIFT to PHWO’s account in Pakistan as shown on the donate page.
2. Payment within Pakistan by a relative, as a bank transfer to the UBL account.
3. Goods left at the Larkana office.

The money is received in Pakistani rupees. Norwegian kroner are converted by your bank, which sets the rate and fee, so check both before sending. Afterwards, tell PHWO about it through the form provided on that page. PHWO matches the transfer with its statement and emails you a receipt carrying a number.

Pakistan is four hours ahead of Norway in winter and three in summer. A message sent from your PHWO account before work in Oslo is read during the Pakistani morning.

Zakat, Ramadan and long summer fasts

When Ramadan falls in the Norwegian summer, fasts can be very long, and many families use the month to settle their zakat. You are free to use any date that marks your lunar zakat year. The Zakat calculator helps you add up bank savings, gold, silver and business goods; convert everything into one currency first. Send fitrana well before Eid, allowing a few working days for an international transfer, so it arrives ahead of the Eid salah.

Receipts and tax in Norway

Norway’s tax deduction for gifts only applies to approved organisations, and PHWO is not one of them. Its emailed receipt is a record of your gift, not a document for the Skatteetaten tax return. For personal advice, ask a tax adviser or see Skatteetaten. PHWO is a Pakistani body; its registration there under the welfare agencies law is being processed. It is not listed in the Norwegian registers kept by Brønnøysundregistrene.

Fundraisers in Norway are welcome

PHWO actively looks for fundraisers abroad. Norwegian Pakistani youth groups, community associations and family networks can all help spread the word. Invite people to give themselves through the donate page; do not open a Vipps collection or hold funds for others in PHWO’s name. Legal help is only given by advocates practising in Pakistan. Register on Volunteer to receive a certificate, a letter of appreciation and an experience letter.

Checking before you give

Social media appeals sometimes use real tragedies to collect money for private pockets. A sound habit is to ask three questions: whose name is the account in, where is the organisation physically based, and can the story be checked? PHWO’s one office is at House 704/C, Lahori Muhalla, Larkana, and its bank details are published only on its own website. It never asks donors to pay individuals.

If you visit Pakistan, you are welcome to contact the office in advance. Many donors also find it reassuring to read PHWO’s where-your-money-goes page and donation policy, both linked from the donate page, before sending anything.

Giving across generations

In many Norwegian Pakistani homes, parents who grew up in Pakistan still handle the family’s zakat, often by sending it to relatives or neighbours back home. Their children, born and educated in Norway, sometimes want more detail: who exactly received the money, and how was the need checked? PHWO’s way of working can suit both. Parents can give as they always have, while younger family members can read the donation policy, see how requests are verified, and choose a specific case to sponsor.

Some families sit down together in Ramadan, calculate zakat as a household, and decide how to split it between relatives in need and wider causes. If part goes to PHWO, a single transfer with a clear note in the confirmation keeps records simple for everyone.

Young people can also help by volunteering as fundraisers, translating PHWO’s updates for grandparents, or explaining to friends at school or university why they give. Every volunteer receives a certificate, which some students find useful for their CV.

Public services in Norway you can also use

• SkatteetatenNorwegian Tax Administration, rules on deductions for gifts
• BrønnøysundregistreneNorwegian public registers, including the register of voluntary organisations
• Ministry of Foreign Affairs, PakistanFind the Pakistan Embassy in Oslo

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

Frequently asked questions