Let's see if this sparks a decent discussion. I'm sure many (most?) of us have met a Thai boy who has touched our hearts in a way unlike the others, and has caused us to spend hours wondering if there's a way we could help them. So, what's the best way to help?

English Lessons -- This is a common one, but unless they're planning to continue living in a tourist city and/or remain in the tourist industry, I think it's pretty useless. Not to mention, even if that's the case, they tend to pickup English as they go anyway.

Education -- Another very common one, but personally, I no longer believe this is a very realistic way to help someone from Issan. Many of these guys dropped out of school early to work, and help support their family. On top of that, the Thai government doesn't seem overly interested in having an educated populace, or at least their education programs don't show it. Alot of these guys are looking at 3 - 5 years of screwing around just to get the equivalent of a high-school diploma, and really, what's the point of that?

A high-school diploma doesn't mean anything in Canada, and means even less in Issan. They need at least a four year university degree to be considered for a decent job. So even if they manage to stick with schooling for say 8 years, which is highly doubtful in probably most cases, they'll probably be in their early 30s by the time they get a decent job, which doesn't seem very viable. Not to mention, formal education isn't exactly a pre-requisite to building financial stability for yourself. For example, I don't have a high school diploma, have taught myself everything needed, and have done just fine for myself.

Buy a House -- I think this is a really good thing, and hey, houses in Issan are cheap. 1 - 3 million baht, the entire family is happy as hell, he'll always have a good roof above his head, and he gets to help out the family in a huge way. The only downside to this is that it's expensive, and is a pure handout, which the Thai didn't do a single thing to earn. Probably not the best way to build character.

Buy them Gold! -- Ok, just kidding actually. This one's just stupid, because we all know how quickly gold turns into whiskey in Thailand. Not to mention, nowadays, I think it's somewhat disrespectful. Mama is busting her ass to bring in 8000/month, and you drop 30,000 on some gold for your BF? Just give the money to mama instead, because it'll more than likely end up in her bank account anyway, except it'll be a smaller amount because the Thai had to sell the gold (and buy whiskey).

Fund a Business -- This is the best thing I can think of. Find out what they're interested in, make sure they work within that industry for at least a couple years to learn the ropes, then fund a small business for them. Don't buy them a business, but instead loan them the funds to buy it, and have them pay you back monthly from the profits. It's a win-win, assuming you have faith that you're Thai BF knows what he's doing, and is capable of turning a profit. In the long-term you get your money back, he gets a huge helping hand to build financial stability for himself, he has something to work towards that builds character, he looks like a superstar during family get togethers, etc. Plus his dignity remains intact, because he's not accepting a handout, but only a loan that he's making monthly payments on.

So yeah, funding a business seems to be the best thing I can think of. And I'm sure in a year or two, I'll be eating for free at a Thai BBQ restaurant in Kohn Kaen quite often. :-)

What do you guys think? Thoughts? Insights? Stories?

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