South of Hyderabad, along the Phuleli and the canals of the Kotri Barrage, Tando Muhammad Khan is a quiet district of sugarcane, rice and small market towns. It is also one of the places in Sindh where the fewest people can read and where most children are not in school. Peace and Humanity Welfare Organization (PHWO) is glad to hear from TMK households as a free, volunteer-led NGO in Tando Muhammad Khan, serving households of every faith and caste and belonging to no party or sect.
To be clear from the start: there is no PHWO office in TMK, Bulri Shah Karim or Tando Ghulam Hyder. Our head office in Larkana is the only one we have. Families here apply on the website or by messaging PHWO from a free PHWO account, or with the support of a volunteer.
One of Sindh's lowest literacy rates
The Sindh census report for 2023 ranks Tando Muhammad Khan third from the bottom for literacy, at 34.02 percent of people aged ten and above, behind only Thatta and Sujawal. It also makes the census report’s list of the five worst districts for children missing school: 62.48 percent of those aged 5 to 16 are not enrolled. Distance to school, poverty, and girls being kept at home after a certain age all contribute.
This is why PHWO pays close attention to education requests from TMK. Parents can ask for help with fees, uniforms, books or transport, and older students can ask for a laptop or phone to keep learning or to start earning, something PHWO is asked for again and again.
Government support exists too. BISP’s Taleemi Wazaif programme pays a stipend to families in its Kafaalat scheme when their children are enrolled and attend school, and girls receive a slightly higher amount. If your family is registered with BISP, ask at the tehsil office or call 0800-26477 to check. PHWO help and government schemes can work side by side. Every request is checked; help is not automatic.
A small, slow-growing district
The census counted 726,119 people in Tando Muhammad Khan in 2023 on 1,423 square kilometres. In 2017 the figure was 677,098, giving growth of about 1.2 percent a year, the slowest of any district in Sindh. Only 22.3 percent of residents live in towns, and households average five people. Sindhi is the main language.
Sugar mills, cane cutters and debt
Cane is the main cash crop, and the harvest season brings work for cutters and loaders who are often paid late or by the tonne. Farmers sometimes wait months for mill payments, borrowing from shopkeepers in the meantime. When a payment is delayed or a crop fails, the loan grows.
Cane-belt families caught in this cycle can write to PHWO about ration or a debt that keeps growing. Explain how much is owed, to whom, and why. PHWO looks at each case on its facts and does not promise a result.
Applying to PHWO from TMK
Go to Request help and pick a category: ration, repaying a loan, medical treatment, school costs, rent, flood damage or a device. Add a clear live photo of yourself, and explain your need in Sindhi or Urdu. If you cannot read, ask a volunteer or a trusted relative to fill it in with you.
A volunteer may call to check your information. PHWO then considers whether the need is genuine and whether support is possible. Only when both are true is help arranged. It is free throughout.
Free legal aid in Tando Muhammad Khan
Family law is where most of PHWO’s legal requests come from: a wife seeking khula, maintenance for children, custody after separation. In TMK these cases go to the family judges at the district courts in Tando Muhammad Khan town.
Tell us about yours on the free legal aid page, even if no FIR has been lodged. Mention any custody question or a hearing coming soon at the top, so that volunteer advocates read it first. PHWO does not promise a lawyer or a judgment. The District Legal Empowerment Committee at the TMK courts can also appoint a lawyer for someone who cannot pay. Women facing violence should call 15 or the Sindh helpline 1094.
The 2022 floods in TMK
PDMA Sindh reported 7 union councils affected and 118 kilometres of road damaged in Tando Muhammad Khan by 13 September 2022. Compared with Badin or Sujawal next door, TMK escaped lightly, but poorly drained land near the canals held water for weeks, delaying the next sowing. Tenant farmers who missed a season because of it often had to borrow for seed and food, and those loans can still be described in a request.
Supporting children and families in TMK
Teachers, college students and lawyers in Tando Muhammad Khan can volunteer, helping neighbours apply, checking requests or taking on family cases. Every TMK volunteer is given a certificate, and PHWO also writes appreciation and experience letters for them.
If you want to help a child in TMK stay in school, you can sponsor a case or donate. Education is one of the eight areas on our programmes page. Zakat and Sadaqah through PHWO are passed to the deserving in full; the Zakat calculator tells you what is due. TMK families of all faiths may use the Rishta Desk without paying anything, with a live selfie check, a PHWO staff review of each profile, and decisions left to families.
Public services in Tando Muhammad Khan you can also use
- District headquarters hospital, Tando Muhammad KhanGovernment hospital; referrals go to Hyderabad.
- TMK district courtsFamily judges; ask about free lawyers through the legal empowerment committee.
- BISP officesKafaalat and Taleemi Wazaif school stipends; 0800-26477.
- Sindh Emergency Rescue Service1122 for accidents and ambulances.
- Sindh PolicePolice on 15, Edhi ambulances on 115, and 1094 for women.
These are public or independent services, listed to help you. They are not part of PHWO.
Frequently asked questions
Can PHWO help pay my children's school fees in TMK?
You can apply for fees, books, uniforms or transport. A volunteer will check the details, and whether help follows depends on PHWO's assessment.
Are Bulri Shah Karim and Tando Ghulam Hyder included?
Yes. Requests are accepted from every taluka and village in Tando Muhammad Khan District.
Does PHWO have an office in Tando Muhammad Khan?
No. The Larkana office is PHWO's only one. People in TMK send requests from home, or with a local volunteer's help.
We are waiting for payment from the sugar mill and have run out of food. Can we ask for ration?
Yes. Explain the situation in your request. It will be checked, and support depends on the assessment.