Helping the poor?

[triggywiggy]

I Dont Know If this is the correct place to post this but it seems to happen to mostely tourists so i will post it here.

When im in bali most of the time walking in the street in Kuta there are normally poor people with there hands out wanting money.

Now i dont know what i should do. Should i give them the money hope they use it for good things and not drugs, Give them a bar if Chocolate or something if i have one, or leave and ignore them.

I tend to also worry if they are just faking being poor to gain money.(didnt ment to sound mean) but i know it can happen

What would you do?

[mat]

I know what you mean. I find it difficult myself. If you give money [more than 5,000] you will get surrounded by more beggers, less [down to 1,000] maybe ok, but less [ a 500 or 200 coin] you get looks of disgust. I tend to check them out, do they look fit to work? Are they dressed in clean, good clothes? and make a judgement from there. Yes there are proffesional beggers who will earn more on the street than doing an honest days work and they can be annoyingly persistant. The best bet, if you really want to help and can be bothered to carry them is to buy a couple of bags of rice and hand out those to the beggers. If you get a look of disgust, you know you have given to the un-needy and [i would] ask for it back. Sadly after being here for a while one tends to ignore most of them and only give to the ones who obviously in dire need.

[triggywiggy]

Thanks for the reply what about carrying around some cheap cocolates or something

[Butch]

Don't know about cheap chocolate but I'm sure I read on another forum the best thing to hand out is your old underwear and left over soaps and shampoo from your hotel.

[triggywiggy]

Ok still sounds a bit kreepy but i take it gives the fakers a lesson in lieng when there are poor people with nothing and they have lots of things.

[Markit]

Um guys, I have heard that begging here on Bali is actually quite "honest".

What do I mean by that?

Well, the east of the island, between Ahmet and Amlapura is one of the poorest parts of the island with very little work. The people that live there are doing the best they can but under the circumstances they often just can't manage to scrape enough together to feed the family.

So the accepted solution to this problem is that the women and kids will jump a truck and take off for a few days to Ubud, Kuta, etc. to do some necessary begging until they have enough together to feed the family back in the east through the rest of the month.

Now they aint doing this because it's easier or fun cause they are just as proud as you or I am. The only real difference between us is - they really haven't got enough to eat.

When they have enough they head right back home to tend their own fields or nets or whatever.

Personally, I always hand out money even when it's only a 1000 Rupiah - it's only 9 cents!

So come on be generous and they will be glad to see you every time lol

[mat]

Thanks for the reply what about carrying around some cheap cocolates or something

You seen the price of chocolate here? Better just give the money.

[triggywiggy]

You seen the price of chocolate here? Better just give the money.

Yah probebly wright can you lot tell me if there is allot at the moment as if there is ill bring some chocolates from aus for them maybe some for you lot hahaha

[bolli]

Yah probebly wright can you lot tell me if there is allot at the moment as if there is ill bring some chocolates from aus for them maybe some for you lot hahaha

Why are you so fixed on giving them chocolate??
Give some money let them decide what to spend it on.

[triggywiggy]

Why are you so fixed on giving them chocolate??
Give some money let them decide what to spend it on.

Yeh good point but i am sure they would reither have someyhing then and there