Fishermen, Rain and Rising Prices: What an NGO in Gwadar Can Do for Families on the Makran Coast

Gwadar is spoken about in Islamabad as a port of the future. On its own streets, most families still live from the sea: fishing boats that go out before dawn, catches sold at the harbour, and incomes that rise and fall with the weather and the fishing season. When the sea is closed, the boat engine breaks or the rains flood the old town, people search for an NGO in Gwadar that can help.

Peace and Humanity Welfare Organization (PHWO) accepts requests from Gwadar town, Pasni, Jiwani, Ormara and the villages between. Be aware, though, that PHWO has no office, centre or team on the Makran coast; all of its work is managed from one office in Larkana, Sindh. Coastal families send their requests online, message PHWO from a free PHWO account, message it online, or ask a volunteer to do it with them. Not a single service carries a charge. Requests are verified and assessed, help is arranged where a verified need can be met, and PHWO never guarantees an outcome.

Gwadar District by the numbers

The 2023 Census counted 305,160 people in Gwadar District, just over half of them in urban areas such as Gwadar town and Pasni (PBS table 1, Balochistan). Almost the whole district, about 98 percent, speaks Balochi as its mother tongue, as the Census language table shows. Gwadar was part of Oman until 1958, and many families still have relatives and work links across the Gulf of Oman.

The town has changed fast since the deep-sea port was built. New roads, a new airport and housing schemes have appeared, and land prices have climbed. For long-settled fishing families, those changes have not always brought jobs; many say rents and living costs have risen faster than their earnings. Fish stocks near the shore are also under pressure from large trawlers, which local fishermen have protested against for years.

The rains of February 2024

At the end of February 2024, about 30 hours of rain poured 187 mm onto Gwadar. Streets and homes in the old town went under water, villages were cut off, and the provincial government declared an emergency in the district. The Friday Times reported that poor drainage turned the downpour into a flood. Many mud and block houses cracked or collapsed, and fishermen lost nets and gear.

If your home, boat or equipment was damaged in these or later rains, you can report it through Request help. Send photographs of the damage, with a live photo of yourself. Losses are assessed; nothing is promised.

Living from the sea

A fishing family’s income is uneven. There are weeks of good catches and weeks when rough seas keep boats ashore. Many fishermen borrow from boat owners or fish traders to buy fuel, ice and nets, and repay from the catch; after a bad season, those debts grow. Women often clean and dry fish or do embroidery at home for very little money.

The most common needs PHWO hears about from coastal families are ration in the lean months, help with debt, and a laptop or smartphone for a son or daughter who wants to study beyond what the local schools offer or find work online. Water is expensive too: in dry spells, households buy tanker water at prices that eat up a large part of a daily wage.

Legal advice through an NGO in Gwadar reach

Gwadar has its own district and sessions courts, and the nearest bench of the High Court of Balochistan sits in Turbat (BHC Turbat Bench). For many women on the coast, a family case means long journeys and legal costs they cannot meet. Nationally, the bulk of legal questions sent to PHWO concern khula, maintenance and the custody of children.

PHWO’s Free legal aid allows you to send your papers to volunteer advocates and get advice by phone. Asking is possible without any FIR. Custody disputes and cases with a near hearing are read before others. Nobody can promise that an advocate will appear for you, but your request will be read.

Services on the coast

• GDA Hospital, run by the Gwadar Development Authority, and the District Headquarters Hospital. The GDA website lists its services.
• 15 for police. In rural areas the Levies have historically kept order.
• BISP: a text message with the woman’s CNIC number to 8171 shows whether the household qualifies; read more on the BISP site.
• PDMA Balochistan for rain, cyclone and flood warnings.
• The district zakat committee under the Balochistan Zakat and Ushr Department.

Helping from Gwadar, Oman or the Gulf

Gwadar’s links with Muscat, Dubai and the wider Gulf mean many local families have a member earning abroad. Relatives working there can use Donate to send support home; PHWO forwards Zakat and Sadaqah to deserving people without keeping any part of it. You can also back one verified family through Sponsor a case.

PHWO welcomes volunteers from the coast: advocates who can advise on family cases, Balochi speakers who can translate requests, and fundraisers in the Gulf. Join through the Volunteer page. Each volunteer receives a certificate, a letter of appreciation and an experience letter.

Public services in Gwadar you can also use

• District and Sessions Court GwadarFamily and civil cases
• High Court of Balochistan, Turbat BenchNearest High Court bench
• District Bar Association GwadarReferral to advocates
• GDA HospitalHospital run by the Gwadar Development Authority
• District Headquarters Hospital GwadarGovernment hospital
• PoliceDial 15
• BISP office GwadarSMS CNIC to 8171
• PDMA BalochistanDisaster management
• District Zakat Committee GwadarGovernment zakat

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

Frequently asked questions