Charity

Being a soppy sort of bleeding heart liberal, I usually always try to help the beggars and unfortunates you meet in BKK, but recently I have been reading more and more about how these people are usually being manipulated by criminals who are raking in fortunes from fools like me.

Last night on sukhumvit I saw the poor amputee who tends to lie prone in the middle of the pavement, but what surprised me was when he alerted a nearby woman begging with a baby that some falang were coming her way.

So, I have decided to stop handing out cash willy nilly, especially if there are kids involved, but can anyone suggest a bona fide charity in Thailand that I could donate some cash to, in order to salve my conscience?

[Lunchtime O'Booze]

"I saw the poor amputee who tends to lie prone in the middle of the pavement'..we all know this scam..lopping off ones limbs to garner sympathy but personally I reckon once they have gone that far they deserve all the money they can get !!!

you could always start with Thais4Life or anything to do with Dr Philippe as he will not accept government money for fear of strings attached.

Any other charity that has paid workers or foreign NGO's involved..notify me as I have a shotgun waiting to run them out of town.

Apart from that I'm a great believer in charity begins at home..etc..mainly my home. You can give your money to me and I promise it will go to worthy people.

However the only way you can salve your conscience is to give up your sinful ways.

There is a handicapped gentleman ones sees in South Pattaya in a hand powered cart. I have typically seen him on walking street and in Boystown. Scam or no scam, there by the grace of Buddha go I.

I have no trouble providing him a donation. An interesting observation; I have seen some of the working boys give him donations as well. Perhaps he works at it all day and his daily collection is respectable. In my mind this is inadequate compensation for the burden of a life with no legs.

That said, LOB's advice is on point:

www.heartt2000.org/ (http://www.heartt2000.org/)

[bing]

Good on you,, If you err, do it on the side of being helpful... It is good to be cautious, but not so cautious as to forget that the giver receives benefits from charity. At least I believe this.

I was told that most cash given to beggars ends up being spent on booze by a long time bangkok expat. So occaionally i will point to a food stall if theres one near and buy some food and give it to them. Ive even bought a really dirty one new t-shirt and shorts rather than him being forced to give any cash to some "boss"

[Dick]

Even the less well off Thai people give to beggars. Farang are expected to also!
Very difficult for us farang to judge which is genuine and which is connived. I always take a longer look at the beggars that Thai people give to. Not that this is a great help. I once asked my bf how he could tell the genuine case from the trickster. He said he couldn't.
Obviously you cant give to all. So decide in your own mind how many or how much you are going to give each day. One a day is good for me. Usually best to 'give' in areas or with company you frequent most. It isn't only about giving... its about being seen to give!

Please don't get me wrong - I am 100% willing to recant my position should I be persuaded that I was wrong (a situation that occurs more often than not), but I remember reading somewhere that if someone was truly starving and destitute, they would be helped by monks should they seek assistance from them - is that not the case?

if someone was truly starving and destitute, they would be helped by monks should they seek assistance from them - is that not the case?

You comment immediately brought to mind Dickens.

Not always, there are those who rather work, even if it is begging, than take a handout from the monks.

Certainly if one takes an early morning walk at Wat Chi you can see that the monks do care for many, but a walk along Beach Road at the same time will show you many who do not turn to the monks. By the way, this is true the world over. Some rather not seek support from the church for many reasons. There are homeless here who are to proud to take assisstance, but none the less, beg daily.

It really comes down to personal choice. I tend to give and not worry about the few who may be scamming. At least this way, I know I am providing some small help to those who are clearly less well off than I.

[bucknaway]

I simply go with my gut, but I also remember that I have needy here at home also.

How much do you 'tip' the street beggars? There seems little point in agonizing over a very few baht. Of course, if you are talking 20 baht + it's a different matter. 20 baht is what I seem to end up tipping a waiter to carry a drink a few yards.

... leave it to the Romans. I never tip street beggars anywhere, on the basis that it's not an export industry; it's purely for domestic consumption. And since I'm a footloose visa runner, nowhere is home, not even (or especially not) the countries whose passports I carry

I go with Dr. Philippe in Pattaya. He is dedicated his life to helping those with HIV. I have a been to his home/clinic and have seen him work and the compassion he has for those he treats. I have handed over cash directly to him for his work and have no question that he uses it to buy HIV medicines for those who desparately need it to stay healthy. You can't go wrong with him in my book. Much of his work is financed by the various fund raisers leading up to the pattaya gay festival. Well worth a visit to see the work he does.

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[jvt22222]

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