Sialkot is famous far beyond Pakistan. Footballs stitched here have been used at World Cups, and its surgical instruments, leather gloves and sportswear are sold across Europe and America. Yet behind the export figures are home-based stitchers, piece-rate polishers and daily-wage packers whose income rises and falls with foreign orders. Some of them, and their children, go online looking for an NGO in Sialkot when that income stops.
This page describes how Sialkot residents can use PHWO, the Peace and Humanity Welfare Organization, what it cannot do, and which local public services are worth knowing. PHWO is based in Larkana, Sindh. It has no office, collection point or staff anywhere in Sialkot district, and every one of its services is free.
An export city with fragile wages
Much of Sialkot’s production is subcontracted to small workshops and homes in villages around Daska, Pasrur and Sambrial. Football stitching is a clear example. When FIFA standards moved towards machine-made balls in the 2000s, Sialkot’s football exports fell by about half before partly recovering, according to Dawn. Changes like that land hardest on the stitcher at the end of the chain, who has no contract and no savings.
The Sialkot Chamber of Commerce and Industry represents the exporters. For workers, public support comes mainly through BISP, Punjab Social Security (for registered workers) and zakat committees.
Sialkot in the 2023 Census
Sialkot District had 4,499,394 people in 2023. Only about a third (32.9%) lived in urban areas; the rest live in the dense villages of the four tehsils: Sialkot, Daska, Pasrur and Sambrial. Punjabi is the mother tongue of the overwhelming majority. The district also has a long-established Christian community, many of whose families work in the city’s industries and services.
August 2025: the Chenab and the nullahs overflow
Sialkot was among the worst-hit districts when rivers swelled in August 2025. Aaj News reported 395 villages affected in Sialkot alone, the highest number of any district in its list (Aaj News). Seasonal streams from the Jammu hills, such as the Aik and Palkhu nullahs, can also flood low-lying neighbourhoods.
If your house, livestock or crop was damaged, the Request help form accepts disaster losses. Explain what happened, and attach pictures and a live photo of yourself. Each request is checked by volunteers. Help can only be arranged when a genuine need is confirmed and PHWO is able to meet it; please do not treat a submitted form as a promise.
Laptops, ration and loans: what Sialkotis ask for
- Study and work devices. Sialkot’s young people increasingly design products, manage export orders and run online stores. A laptop can be the difference between a factory floor and an office job.
- Ration for families whose piece-rate work dried up between orders.
- Debt from medical bills, weddings or informal loans against future wages.
Describe your situation honestly and in detail. Requests with clear information are quicker to verify.
Family legal aid for Sialkot's courts
Maintenance claims, khula petitions, dowry recovery and custody cases are heard in Sialkot’s family courts, with appeals going to the Lahore High Court. PHWO’s legal aid puts your case in front of volunteer advocates at no cost. You can apply without an FIR. Custody and urgent hearings are read first. Because every lawyer is a volunteer, PHWO cannot guarantee one will take your case, so keep attending your hearings in the meantime.
Where to go in an emergency
- Rescue 1122 for accidents, fires and flood rescue.
- Police 15; women facing violence can also call 1043.
- Allama Iqbal Memorial Teaching Hospital and Government Sardar Begum Hospital, both public hospitals linked to Khawaja Muhammad Safdar Medical College.
- BISP for the Kafaalat programme.
- The Deputy Commissioner’s office and PDMA Punjab for flood relief notices.
Sialkot's volunteers and its diaspora
Sialkot already sends volunteers to PHWO, and the city’s professional class, from exporters to accountants to lawyers, has skills that help. Advocates are needed most, then fundraisers. The district also has large communities abroad, particularly in the UK, Norway, Spain and the Gulf, and volunteering as a fundraiser can be done from anywhere. Volunteers are given a certificate, a thank-you letter and a letter confirming their experience.
Exporters and overseas Sialkotis are welcome to give cash or in-kind goods. Every rupee marked as Zakat or Sadaqah is passed to deserving people without deductions. To fund one verified family, choose Sponsor a case, and use the zakat calculator for business stock and receivables.
Rishta Desk for Sialkot
The Rishta Desk costs nothing and welcomes families of all religions, which matters in a district with both Muslim and Christian communities. Profiles are checked with a live selfie and reviewed by PHWO staff. Families decide for themselves, and no match can be guaranteed.
Sialkot families often have relatives in several countries, and a shared online profile lets grandparents in the village and cousins in Oslo or Birmingham see the same information. Even so, meet in person, check references through people you trust, and never send money to anyone you met online.
Public services in Sialkot you can also use
- Rescue 1122Emergency and flood rescue
- Allama Iqbal Memorial Teaching HospitalPublic teaching hospital
- Government Sardar Begum HospitalPublic hospital
- Benazir Income Support ProgrammeCash support for eligible families
- District Administration SialkotDeputy Commissioner's office
- PDMA PunjabFlood warnings and relief
- Sialkot Chamber of Commerce and IndustryRepresents exporters; not a welfare body
These are public or independent services, listed to help you. They are not part of PHWO.
Frequently asked questions
I stitch footballs at home near Sialkot and have had no orders for weeks. Can I ask for ration?
Yes. Use the request form, explain how your work stopped, and add a live selfie. Volunteers will look into it, though no support can be promised.
Our village near Sambrial flooded in 2025. Can we still apply?
Yes. Disaster losses and the debts that followed them are accepted. Include pictures of the damage.
Does PHWO have an office in Sialkot?
No. Larkana in Sindh is the only place PHWO has an office. From Sialkot, write to info@phwo.org , use the website, or message PHWO from your free PHWO account.
Can Christian families in Sialkot use PHWO?
Yes. PHWO is non-sectarian and all services, including the Rishta Desk, are open to every faith.
I live in the UK and my family is from Daska. Can I raise funds?
Yes. Fundraising by overseas Pakistanis is one of the most valuable things a volunteer can do. Register through the volunteer form and say which city abroad you live in.