From American Bank Accounts to Pakistani Households: How Giving to PHWO Works

Pakistani Americans, and plenty of Americans with no family link at all, look for a simple way to donate to Pakistan from USA accounts. This guide explains how that works with Peace and Humanity Welfare Organization (PHWO), which runs a single office in Larkana, in Sindh province, and responds to requests from across the whole country.

Before anything else, three honest points. PHWO has no office, chapter or agent anywhere in the United States. It is not a US nonprofit, so it holds no 501(c)(3) status. And everything it provides to families in Pakistan is free of charge to them.

Reasons to route your giving through a Larkana organisation

Large international charities do valuable work, but some donors want to see their gift go to ordinary households that fall between the cracks: a tenant facing eviction in Karachi, a student in Bannu without a laptop, a farmer in Dadu still paying off debts from the 2022 floods. PHWO receives requests of this kind from every province. Each one comes with a live photo and is checked, and support is arranged where a real need can be met. PHWO never promises a result to an applicant.

Because the organisation works online and through volunteers rather than through rented branches, the Larkana office can receive a request from Gilgit exactly as it does from a nearby village.

Where zakat and sadaqah end up

Zakat sent from America is held in its own fund. It is given only to recipients who qualify under Islamic law, and it never covers salaries, rent or other overheads. Sadaqah has its own separate fund too, and all of it goes to people in need.

The eight areas PHWO works in are listed on Programmes. In daily practice the most common requests are for food ration, paying off debts, and laptops or phones for students and job-seekers, followed by hospital bills, school and college fees, overdue rent, and losses from fires or floods. Donors who prefer to back one specific, verified household can choose Sponsor a case.

Ways to donate to Pakistan from USA banks

There is no credit card checkout and no PayPal button. The Donate page lists these routes, and only these:

1. International wire transfer. Most American banks let you send an international wire online or at a branch. Copy the beneficiary details from the donate page only.
2. Help from family in Pakistan. A relative with a Pakistani bank account can pay locally by bank transfer to PHWO’s UBL account and tell PHWO the gift is yours.
3. Goods in kind, delivered to the Larkana office, for example ration bags, bedding, medicine or school supplies. Nothing expired or broken, please.

Funds are received in Pakistani rupees. Your dollars are converted by your bank or by a correspondent bank, and US wires often carry a sending fee plus a possible intermediary charge. Ask your bank what the recipient is likely to receive. Once the wire is sent, use the confirmation form on the donate page; PHWO checks it against its bank statement and emails a numbered receipt.

Pakistan runs nine hours ahead of New York during daylight saving and ten hours ahead in winter; from California the gap is twelve or thirteen hours. A message sent from your PHWO account on your evening arrives during Pakistan’s morning.

Zakat calendar notes for American Muslims

Your zakat is due once a lunar year has passed on wealth above the nisab. Many people choose Ramadan, but any date that marks your zakat year works. The Zakat calculator adds up cash, gold, silver, investments and trade goods; convert the answer at the rate your bank will use. International wires can take several business days, and US bank holidays add delay, so send fitrana well ahead of Eid. Mark each gift clearly as zakat or sadaqah when you confirm.

Helping from the US as a volunteer or fundraiser

Fundraisers living abroad are among the volunteers PHWO needs most. You might share its work at your workplace, a university students’ group or a family dinner, and point people to the donate page. Never gather cash or Zelle payments on PHWO’s behalf; every gift should go straight to its accounts. Its volunteer lawyers must be advocates in Pakistan, so American attorneys can help best as fundraisers or advisers to friends. Register on Volunteer to receive a certificate, a letter of appreciation and an experience letter.

How to vet an overseas charity

The Federal Trade Commission publishes practical advice on how to donate wisely and avoid charity scams. The IRS offers a tax-exempt organization search for US charities. PHWO will not appear there, because it is a Pakistani body completing its registration under Pakistani welfare law. For the same reason, gifts to it are generally not deductible on a US tax return; check with your own tax professional if this matters.

Be wary of anyone who asks you to send money to a personal account, a gift card or crypto in PHWO’s name. That is not how it works, and anyone doing so does not represent it.

Public services in United States you can also use

• FTC: donate wisely and avoid charity scamsConsumer guidance on checking charities
• IRS Tax Exempt Organization SearchLook up US tax-exempt organisations
• Ministry of Foreign Affairs, PakistanFind Pakistan's embassy and consulates in the US

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

Frequently asked questions