Below Nanga Parbat: Asking a Welfare Organisation for Help from Astore

The Astore valley runs south from the Indus towards the Deosai plateau, with Nanga Parbat standing over its western side. Eidgah, the district headquarters, and nearby Rama meadow draw summer visitors, while villages such as Gorikot, Rattu and Minimarg spend much of winter cut off by snow. People from here who search for an NGO in Astore usually want one thing: to know whether someone will read their request without a trip down country.

Peace and Humanity Welfare Organization (PHWO) does read requests from here, yet it has no office or staff in Astore. Its single office is in Larkana, Sindh. Everything is done at a distance, through the website, a call or a volunteer, and it is all free. Each file gets a careful look, support comes only if the case stands up and can be answered, and there are no promises.

Astore's population, homes and schooling

The 2023 Census counted 111,573 people in Astore District, compared with 95,416 in 2017, a yearly growth of 2.64 percent (GB at a Glance 2025, a Planning and Development Department report). Astore covers 5,411 square kilometres.

Families here are large. The same source lists an average household of about eight people across 13,713 households, among the biggest in Gilgit-Baltistan. Literacy was 66.4 percent. Shina is the everyday language, with Urdu used at school and in government offices.

Snow, distance and the cost of getting by

For months each year, heavy snow closes the higher routes, including the road over Burzil Pass and on to Deosai. Villagers stock flour, fuel and fodder in autumn, often on credit from local shopkeepers, and pay it back when summer work returns. A poor harvest or a missed season leaves that debt hanging.

Men from Astore commonly work as labourers, drivers or soldiers away from home. With eight mouths to feed on one income, a sudden illness or accident quickly becomes a financial emergency. Serious patients are frequently taken to Gilgit, adding travel and lodging costs.

Slopes above the valley are prone to avalanches and landslides, and rain can bring flash floods; the NDMA publishes national alerts. Houses and water channels damaged in such events are expensive to repair.

Contacting an NGO in Astore when you are snowed in

Winter need not stop a request. You can fill in the Request help form on a phone, or message PHWO from your free PHWO account whenever you have signal. Tell PHWO about everyone in the household, how you earn across the seasons, what you owe and what would help now.

Add a clear live photo of yourself. Papers such as a shopkeeper’s credit record, a hospital prescription or a school fee slip make the case easier to understand. If your village has no coverage, a relative in Eidgah or Gilgit can send the file for you. PHWO charges nothing, and nobody is authorised to take cash for it.

Legal advice for Astore families

The district courts in Astore handle local civil, family and criminal matters, and an appeal can be taken to the Chief Court of Gilgit-Baltistan. With PHWO’s Free legal aid you can show your documents to a volunteer lawyer based in Pakistan and hear the law explained plainly. Disputes over pasture and forest shares, inheritance, maintenance for a wife or children and khula are typical in valley communities.

No FIR is required. Tell PHWO at once if custody of a child is at stake or a hearing is near; those are dealt with first. Court appearance by a volunteer is possible only sometimes.

Public help available in Astore

• District Headquarters Hospital Astore in Eidgah for government treatment.
• Police emergency: 15.
• BISP: text the CNIC number to 8171 and learn whether Kafaalat or stipends apply.
• District Zakat and Ushr Committee Astore for state zakat.
• District courts Astore and the local bar for in-person legal help.

Rishta, study and women's concerns in the valley

Marriage questions come up often in big households. The Rishta Desk lets Astore families post a profile at no cost; each profile is checked with a live selfie and reviewed by PHWO staff, and parents decide everything themselves. PHWO cannot promise a match.

Girls in Astore increasingly finish school and want to go further, yet college means moving to Gilgit or beyond, with hostel fees and travel. A student can explain these costs in a request. Women facing trouble at home can ask for legal guidance privately online, and anyone in immediate danger should call 15 straight away, before anything else. Mothers who want to learn a skill, such as tailoring or online work, can read about PHWO’s women empowerment and digital skills areas on the programmes page.

Helping Astore as a donor or volunteer

Many families from the valley now live in Gilgit, Rawalpindi or the Gulf. They, and anyone who cares about mountain communities, can give through Donate, including goods like quilts and warm clothes before winter. Zakat and Sadaqah go completely to people who qualify. To choose one verified household, use Sponsor a case.

PHWO also welcomes volunteers from Astore, above all advocates working in Pakistan, plus people willing to raise funds in the country or overseas. Join through Volunteer and receive a certificate, a letter of appreciation and an experience letter. PHWO’s wider work in health, education, relief and other areas is listed on Programmes.

Public services in Astore you can also use

• District courts AstoreCivil, criminal and family cases
• Chief Court of Gilgit-BaltistanAppeals
• District Headquarters Hospital AstoreGovernment hospital
• PoliceDial 15
• BISPSMS CNIC to 8171
• District Zakat and Ushr Committee AstoreGovernment zakat

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

Frequently asked questions