Hunza is the valley most Pakistanis picture when they think of the north: apricot orchards, Baltit Fort above Karimabad, and Rakaposhi rising over the Karakoram Highway. Tourists leave with happy photos. People who live here year round know a different side, with rising prices, a short earning season and winters when the guesthouses stand empty. If you are in Aliabad, Karimabad, Nasirabad or upper Gojal and searching for an NGO in Hunza, this page explains what Peace and Humanity Welfare Organization (PHWO) can and cannot do for you.
PHWO has no office, desk or worker anywhere in Hunza. Its only office is in Larkana, Sindh, more than a thousand kilometres to the south. Hunza residents get in touch using the website, Message PHWO in a free PHWO account, or a volunteer, and nothing costs money. Each request is checked carefully. If the need proves real and PHWO can do something about it, something is arranged; nothing is promised beforehand.
Hunza in official figures
The Gilgit-Baltistan Planning and Development Department’s GB at a Glance 2025 gives Hunza District a 2023 Census population of 65,497, up from 51,372 in 2017. That is a growth rate of 4.13 percent a year, the fastest of any district in the region, spread over 10,109 square kilometres. Only about seven people live on each square kilometre.
The same report shows Hunza’s literacy rate at 86.62 percent, the highest in Gilgit-Baltistan, and the smallest average household, at around six people. There were 11,186 households in 2023. Burushaski is the mother tongue in central Hunza, Wakhi in Gojal and Shina in some lower villages, so volunteers are used to hearing more than one language.
Money worries behind the postcard view
A well-educated valley does not mean every household is comfortable. Many graduates cannot find salaried work nearby and depend on seasonal tourism, small shops or remittances from relatives in Karachi, Islamabad or the Gulf. When the tourist season is weak, or the Karakoram Highway is blocked by a landslide, income stops but rent, school fees and loan instalments do not.
The valley also lives with its mountains. The Attabad landslide of 2010 dammed the Hunza River and drowned villages in Gojal, and glacier surges in recent years have threatened homes, channels and bridges. The National Disaster Management Authority puts out warnings for these hazards. A family that loses fields or a shop to a flood can take years to recover.
Nationwide, most PHWO requests ask for groceries, help clearing debts, or a device such as a laptop for studies and earning. In Hunza, the last of these stands out: young people who already have good schooling often need only a device and a stable connection to start freelancing through the long winter.
Sending a request to an NGO in Hunza from home
Open the Request help form, or message PHWO from your free PHWO account. Explain who lives in your home, how the family earns in summer and in winter, and the precise thing you hope for. Every applicant is asked to include a live photo. Supporting papers help a lot: a rent agreement, an electricity bill, a hospital slip, a fee voucher or a note of money owed.
If you live high in Shimshal, Chipursan or Misgar where signals are weak, collect everything first and send it when you come down to Sost, Gulmit or Aliabad. A volunteer may call back with a few questions. Payment is never part of the process; a person asking you for cash on PHWO’s behalf does not represent it.
Free legal aid for Hunza residents
Cases from Hunza go before the district courts, and appeals move up to the Chief Court of Gilgit-Baltistan in Gilgit. PHWO’s Free legal aid service puts you in touch with Pakistani volunteer lawyers, who go through your papers and set out the choices simply. Land and inheritance disputes, family maintenance, khula and tenancy quarrels with guesthouse owners are the kinds of matters that come up in mountain districts.
Asking costs nothing and needs no FIR. Flag it clearly when children’s custody is disputed or your next date in court is soon, because those files jump the queue. Whether an advocate can actually appear for you depends on who is available, so treat it as advice first.
Where else people in Hunza can turn
- District Headquarters Hospital Aliabad for government treatment in the valley; serious cases are often referred to Gilgit.
- Police: dial 15.
- BISP: check Kafaalat or school stipend eligibility by sending your CNIC number by SMS to 8171.
- District Zakat and Ushr Committee Hunza for government zakat to registered deserving people.
- Local bar and district courts in Aliabad for finding an advocate in person.
- Village organisations that many Hunza settlements run for their own members; ask your elders.
Giving and volunteering from Hunza or abroad
Hunza has a large, educated diaspora. Anyone who wants to support poor families in the valley or elsewhere in Pakistan can give through Donate, in cash or in kind. Zakat and Sadaqah passed to PHWO reach eligible people in full. To follow one checked household, see Sponsor a case; the Zakat calculator shows how much zakat is due.
Students and professionals from the valley make good volunteers. Advocates in Pakistan are needed most, followed by fundraisers inside the country and overseas. Register through Volunteer; those who give time receive a certificate, a letter of appreciation and an experience letter.
Public services in Hunza you can also use
- District courts Hunza (Aliabad)Civil, criminal and family cases
- Chief Court of Gilgit-BaltistanAppeals
- District Headquarters Hospital AliabadGovernment hospital for Hunza
- PoliceDial 15
- BISPSMS CNIC to 8171
- District Zakat and Ushr Committee HunzaGovernment zakat
These are public or independent services, listed to help you. They are not part of PHWO.
Frequently asked questions
I have a degree but no job in Hunza. Can I ask for a laptop to freelance?
Yes. Explain your skills, your plan and your family's income. Volunteers look into it, and a laptop follows only if the case holds up and one can be provided.
Does PHWO have anyone in Aliabad or Karimabad?
No. PHWO keeps nobody in Hunza, neither an office nor a worker. The single office is in Larkana, Sindh, and everything else happens online.
Our shop was damaged when the highway was blocked and the season failed. Should we apply?
It can be. Describe the loss, any debts it created and what would help the family recover.
Can I explain my situation in Burushaski or Wakhi?
Yes. Talk in your own tongue; the volunteers will sort out the meaning.
I live in Europe but my family is from Gojal. How can I give?
Use the Donate page from abroad, or choose a checked household through Sponsor a case.