Barcelona, Madrid, Valencia: Sending Zakat and Sadaqah to Pakistan from Spain

Barcelona’s Raval and Badalona, Madrid, Valencia and Logroño are home to Pakistani shopkeepers, drivers, cooks and workers who keep a firm connection with Punjab and other regions. When people there want to donate to Pakistan from Spain, they want to be sure their euros reach real households. Below is a walk-through of how Peace and Humanity Welfare Organization (PHWO) accepts support sent from Spain.

First, the basics. PHWO has no asociación, office or agent in Spain; it runs from a single office in Larkana, Sindh. Families in Pakistan who approach it pay nothing for any of its services.

Households that reach out to PHWO

Picture a day labourer’s family in Sheikhupura who have run out of flour before the month is over, or a young woman in Mirpurkhas who has qualified for a nursing course but cannot cover the fee. These are the sorts of people who apply. Their requests come with a live photo of the applicant. Volunteers study the request, sometimes phone the family, and a decision follows. Help is arranged only when a genuine need is established and PHWO can respond. Applicants are never promised an outcome.

Food, debt and laptops lead the list of requests, followed by medical costs, education fees, rent and losses from floods or fire.

Zakat and sadaqah, kept in the right place

Zakat sent to PHWO goes into a separate fund. It is handed only to people who are entitled to it, and it never pays for administration. Sadaqah is likewise kept on its own, and every rupee goes to people in need. See Programmes for the areas PHWO works in, and Sponsor a case if you want to support one particular family.

Transferencia internacional: how the money travels

Bizum, card payments and PayPal are not available. A standard SEPA transferencia will not reach Pakistan either. The Donate page lists:

• International wire transfer: a transferencia internacional (SWIFT) from your Spanish bank to the account on the donate page. Some locutorios and money transfer agencies can also deliver into Pakistani bank accounts.
• Payment inside Pakistan by a relative, through a bank transfer to the UBL account.
• In-kind gifts dropped off at the Larkana office.

PHWO’s account receives rupees. Your euros are converted by the sender, whether a bank or a transfer agency, so compare the exchange rate and fees; the difference between providers can be significant. Take PHWO’s details from its own website, then report the payment through the donate page’s form. After PHWO finds the credit in its bank records, it sends a numbered receipt to your email.

Spain’s mainland runs on Central European Time, so Pakistan is four hours ahead in winter and three in summer; in the Canary Islands the gap is one hour more. If you message PHWO from your PHWO account at 8 in the morning in Barcelona, it is already around midday in Larkana. Email to info@phwo.org is fine at any hour.

Ramadan and zakat timing

Most families calculate zakat in Ramadan, although any fixed day in your lunar year will do. The Zakat calculator totals cash, savings, gold, silver and trading stock; convert everything into euros or rupees before adding. Fitrana needs to be with families before Eid prayer, and international transfers may take several working days, so plan to send it by the middle of Ramadan if you can.

Receipts, tax and registration

PHWO is not a Spanish fundación or registered asociación, so Spanish tax deductions for donations generally do not apply to gifts made to it. Ask a gestor or tax adviser if this matters for you. The receipt PHWO emails confirms your donation for your own records. In Pakistan, its registration as a voluntary welfare agency is in process.

Fundraising for PHWO in Spain

Fundraisers overseas are among PHWO’s most needed volunteers. You can talk about PHWO at your workplace, your cricket club or your family WhatsApp group and share the link to the donate page. Each person should pay directly; please do not collect money or accept it on PHWO’s behalf. Court-related help stays with Pakistani advocates. To join, fill in Volunteer; volunteers are given a certificate, a letter of appreciation and an experience letter.

Donate to Pakistan from Spain without falling for scams

Be careful with any appeal that arrives by forwarded message, asks for money to a personal Bizum number or wallet, or pressures you to decide fast. Look for a physical address and an account in the organisation’s own name. PHWO is at House 704/C, Lahori Muhalla, Larkana, and does not ask donors to pay individuals.

Services your own relatives can use for free

Donors in Spain are often the first person relatives call when trouble strikes at home. It helps to know what PHWO offers them directly, at no cost:

• Request help for ration, medical bills, fees, rent, debt or a laptop, assessed like every other application.
• Free legal aid from volunteer advocates, mostly in family matters such as maintenance, khula and custody. No FIR is needed to ask.
• The Rishta Desk, open free of charge to families of every faith in Pakistan and abroad, with a live selfie check and a PHWO staff review of every profile, and the decision always left to the families. No match is promised.

Pointing a cousin to these services can sometimes solve a problem more lastingly than a one-off transfer, and it leaves your own money free for other needs.

If someone in your family applies, they should be completely honest about income and circumstances. Requests are checked, and a mismatch between the documents and the story slows everything down.

Public services in Spain you can also use

• Ministry of Foreign Affairs, PakistanFind the Pakistan Embassy in Madrid and Consulate in Barcelona

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

Frequently asked questions