The Swat valley feeds itself on peaches, apples, tourists and wages earned in the Gulf, and all four can fail in the same year. When they do, families from Mingora, Saidu Sharif, Matta, Khwazakhela, Bahrain and Kalam search for an NGO in Swat that can step in. Peace and Humanity Welfare Organization (PHWO) is one option you can reach without travelling anywhere.
Please know from the start that PHWO has no office, centre or relief camp in Swat. Its one office is in Larkana, Sindh. You contact PHWO on the website, through Message PHWO in a free PHWO account, or through a volunteer. No PHWO service costs money. Requests are verified and assessed, and help is arranged where a verified need can be met; nothing is promised.
When the Swat River rises
Floods are the valley’s recurring nightmare. The 2010 floods swept away bridges, hotels and farmland along the river, and the 2022 monsoon brought the water back into Bahrain and Kalam. In June 2025, flash floods after pre-monsoon rain drowned visitors and residents near Mingora; The News reported nine deaths among one group of local tourists alone, and Dawn counted 17 dead across the province in the same spell.
If floodwater has taken your house, shop, cattle or orchard, you can report the loss through Request help. Photograph what was lost, and add a live photo of yourself. For rescue during a flood, always call 1122 first.
Who lives in the valley
The 2023 Census recorded 2,687,384 people in Swat District, with households averaging seven members and about 30 percent living in towns such as Mingora (PBS table 1). Pashto is spoken at home by about 92 percent. Around 6 percent speak other languages, which in upper Swat include Torwali and Gawri, and a smaller group speaks Kohistani.
The district grew at about 2.6 percent a year between 2017 and 2023. That means many young people entering a job market built mostly on farming, tourism, small trade and work abroad.
The help people in Swat ask for most
- Ration in the winter months, when hotels in Kalam and Malam Jabba close and roads to upper villages are cut by snow.
- Clearing debts taken on after a failed fruit season or a hospital stay.
- A laptop or smartphone so that someone enrolled at a college in Saidu Sharif or a young man trying to earn online instead of leaving for Dubai.
- Medicine and treatment costs, school fees and house repairs after floods.
Each request is looked at on its own facts. A short, clear explanation of your situation, in Pashto if you prefer, is often more helpful than a long letter.
Free legal aid in Swat's courts
The Peshawar High Court has a bench at Mingora (the Dar-ul-Qaza), and the district courts of Swat sit in Saidu Sharif and Mingora. Most people who write to PHWO about the law have family problems: a wife seeking khula, a mother whose husband has stopped maintenance, or a parent fighting for custody.
PHWO’s Free legal aid puts your papers in front of volunteer advocates. You can ask even if there is no FIR, and custody disputes and urgent hearings are read first. There is no promise that an advocate will take the case in court. Poor litigants in Swat can also approach the district bar association, or the legal empowerment committee that the sessions judge chairs, for a lawyer at no cost.
Services in Mingora and around the district
- Saidu Group of Teaching Hospitals in Saidu Sharif, the main government hospital for Malakand Division.
- Rescue 1122 for floods, accidents and fires, and 15 for police.
- BISP: Kafaalat eligibility is checked by sending a CNIC number to 8171, or at the tehsil office; see the BISP site.
- Swat’s District Zakat Committee for state zakat.
- The provincial disaster authority’s helpline 1700 for flood warnings and relief.
Swatis abroad: donors and fundraisers
Swat has sent workers to Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Qatar and Malaysia for decades, and a growing number of families from the valley now live in the UK, Canada and the USA. Many of them already send money home for weddings, funerals and floods. If you are one of them, you can Donate to PHWO from abroad; your Zakat and Sadaqah go whole to people in need. Or pick a single verified family through Sponsor a case.
PHWO also needs fundraisers overseas who can gather support among colleagues and friends, and advocates in Swat who can give a few hours to family cases. Both can register on the Volunteer page and receive a certificate, a letter of appreciation and an experience letter.
Why an NGO in Swat that works online makes sense
Upper Swat is far from everything. A trip from Kalam to Mingora can take most of a day in winter. Applying online means you do not lose a day’s wages or pay for transport just to ask for help. It also means your request goes to people with no local ties or pressure, which many families prefer when the matter is private, such as a debt or a divorce.
Pashtun families in the valley value their honour and privacy, and a visit from outsiders can set neighbours talking. Messages through your My PHWO account keep the matter between you and the person checking your case.
Public services in Swat (Mingora) you can also use
- Peshawar High Court, Mingora Bench (Dar-ul-Qaza)Appeals and writs for Malakand Division
- District and Sessions Courts Swat (family courts)Khula, maintenance, custody
- District Bar Association SwatReferral to advocates
- District Legal Empowerment Committee SwatLegal aid for poor litigants
- Saidu Group of Teaching HospitalsGovernment teaching hospital, Saidu Sharif
- Rescue 1122Dial 1122
- PoliceDial 15
- BISP tehsil officeSMS CNIC to 8171
- District Zakat Committee SwatState zakat
- PDMA Khyber PakhtunkhwaHelpline 1700
These are public or independent services, listed to help you. They are not part of PHWO.
Frequently asked questions
Our orchard in Matta was destroyed by floodwater. Can PHWO help?
You can report disaster losses through Request help with photos of the damage and a live photo of yourself. The loss is assessed; there is no guarantee of help.
Is PHWO running flood camps in Swat?
No. PHWO has no camps, office or staff in Swat. Its only office is in Larkana, Sindh.
I work in Saudi Arabia. Can I give zakat for families in my village in Swat?
Gifts from overseas are accepted, and you may say which area you care about. Zakat and Sadaqah go in full to people in need.
Can I get advice for a khula case at the Mingora family court?
Yes, apply through Free legal aid. Volunteer advocates read your case and advise where they can.
We live in Kalam and roads close in winter. How do we apply?
Use Message PHWO in a free PHWO account or the website whenever you have a signal. No visit is needed.