A Fast-Growing Town in the Sand: What an NGO in Kharan Can Offer

Kharan is an old desert town in western Balochistan, once the seat of a princely state, surrounded by sand seas, gravel plains and low mountains. Water is precious here, and life has long depended on karez channels, tubewells, date palms, small wheat fields and herds of goats, sheep and camels. Roads to Quetta and to the rest of Rakhshan are long. Someone who looks up NGO in Kharan may be coping with drought, a debt to the local shopkeeper, the cost of treatment in Quetta, or a student’s fees.

Kharan families can apply to Peace and Humanity Welfare Organization (PHWO), which should say honestly that it has no representative, centre or room in the district; it operates solely from Larkana, Sindh. Families reach PHWO through the internet, Message PHWO in a free PHWO account, or a volunteer, and pay nothing. Requests go through a volunteer check. If the need proves genuine and within reach, support is arranged, sometimes in the form of ration or a fee payment, but PHWO cannot tell anyone in advance that they will receive it.

Rapid growth, according to the census

Kharan District recorded 260,352 people in the 2023 Census, on 14,958 square kilometres (PBS Balochistan census, Table 1). The same table shows annual growth of about 8.2 percent since 2017, and 31 percent of residents living in urban areas. Kharan sub-division, containing the town, had 104,035 people, nearly 78 percent of them urban, which makes the town itself far more crowded than the empty desert around it suggests. New neighbourhoods have spread out along the roads, often without proper water supply or drainage. Balochi is the mother tongue of about 91 percent of residents and Brahui of about 8 percent (PBS language table).

Fast growth brings pressure on water, schools, clinics and jobs, which all arrive more slowly than people do. Many newer households in the town rent rooms or build with borrowed money, and a single missed wage can put them behind on both rent and loan repayments. If that is your family’s situation, you can say so openly when you apply; rent and debt are both things volunteers look at.

Drought, dates and livestock

Kharan has a harsh desert climate. Rain can fail for years at a time; when it does, grazing vanishes, karez flows weaken and herds shrink. Date palms and small fields survive only where there is a reliable water source. Families who lose their animals lose both food and savings, and many borrow to survive.

Through Request help, you can explain your losses and needs: flour and cooking oil for the month, clearing a debt, medical costs, school fees or rent. Say what you had before and what you have now. Photographs of dry fields or empty pens can help volunteers understand.

Camel and goat herders who move with their animals may not have a fixed address. That does not stop you applying: give the name of the nearest village or settlement and a phone number that works.

Long journeys for treatment and study

Serious illness in Kharan often means a long trip to Quetta or Karachi. Transport, food, lodging and medicines can add up to more than the family’s monthly income, and people borrow to pay. Students face the same distances: university usually means leaving home.

Patients can ask for help with treatment costs; attach prescriptions and hospital papers. Students can ask for fees or a laptop or phone, which is among the requests PHWO sees most often; include admission proof. Online work and digital skills can also be explored through Programmes, a real option for young people who would rather not leave Kharan.

Sending your request

1. Open the website form or message PHWO from your free PHWO account.
2. Explain your situation in Balochi, Brahui or Urdu.
3. Add a live photo of yourself and any papers you have.
4. Give a number you will answer; a volunteer may call.

There is no fee at any stage. If someone says they can get your request approved in return for money, they are not from PHWO.

Legal questions in Kharan

Kharan town has sessions and family courts for the district, and anyone who loses may appeal upward to the provincial high court. Water shares from karez and tubewells, land and inheritance are common disputes; family cases involve dower, maintenance, khula and custody.

You can send documents and a brief explanation to Free legal aid. Volunteer lawyers will tell you your options. No FIR is needed first. Children’s matters and urgent hearings are given priority. A volunteer standing for you in court is possible in some cases but cannot be promised.

Public services people in Kharan can use

• Kharan’s district hospital; most specialist referrals go to Quetta.
• Police can be called on 15, and Levies stations serve outlying areas.
• A Kharan woman wanting to know about BISP can SMS her CNIC to 8171 or read bisp.gov.pk.
• The disaster authority’s drought and flood notices appear on pdma.gob.pk.
• The province’s departments are reachable through balochistan.gov.pk.

Helping Kharan from near or far

Kharanis living in Quetta, Karachi or the Gulf may choose to Donate, in goods or cash, or to carry one verified household through Sponsor a case. Zakat and Sadaqah are handed to families without deduction. Teachers, lawyers and fundraisers can enrol as a Volunteer and are thanked with a certificate, a letter of appreciation and an experience letter.

Public services in Kharan you can also use

• District and Sessions Courts KharanCivil, criminal and family cases
• High Court of Balochistan, QuettaAppeals
• District Headquarters Hospital KharanGovernment hospital
• Police / LeviesDial 15
• BISP office KharanSMS CNIC to 8171
• PDMA BalochistanDrought and flood relief
• Government of BalochistanProvincial departments

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

Frequently asked questions