Helping the poor?

[kayoticlaudia]

They all want money..... hey even in Amlapura. This kid was watching me load my "galon" bottles into the car and started begging. Since I happened to have a whole stalk of bananas in the car to bring to my sisters I thought. Hmmmm a nice banana or two would be ok.

But he didn't want the bananas. So I asked him what he wanted: uang. Sorry buddy I don't give cash.

I usually have ciagrettes, pencils and paper and some fruit in the car. I don't hand out cash but I do give out the above mentioned stuff. The guys are always grateful for some cigs!

Once I offered a job to a beggar in Amlapura. I told him he could come up once a week and clean the veggie garden. He just shook his head. Guess not ...... More money on the streets these days!

[Markit]

I have run into the so called "opportunity beggar" lots of time - always kids. They see a Bule and think "hmmm, everyone else gets money from these guys" ...

I give them absolutely nothing and make a point of telling em to feck off - don't want to start any bad habits now do we?

But they are easy to recognize from the real beggars.

[BKT]

Once I offered a job to a beggar in Amlapura. I told him he could come up once a week and clean the veggie garden. He just shook his head. Guess not ...... More money on the streets these days!

And a lot easier work as well.

I don't know whats worse, the fact that they use their kids to do the begging or the fact that the government will sit back and allow them to do it. I have no problem with grown adults begging but when you see a 5 year old sleep deprived kid walking around Double6 area all by themselves at 4 in the morning asking for money you realize how f'd up this country is.

[JohnnyCool]

There are beggars in Bali
Some are fake, some are not
Some DO "work" for opportunist arseholes
Why aren't THEY arrested?
And the people who rent their babies?

Some years ago, the Sultan of Jogjakarta warned people off giving money to "fake beggars". He didn't elaborate upon how to spot the difference. Given his wealth, I wondered why he didn't just invite all the "real" beggars to his palace and give them jobs. Then again, he was (and probably still is), employing many women to do weaving and paying them slave wages.

Giving money to beggars in Jakarta has supposedly been out-lawed. That's some kind of a start, but certainly fails miserably in addressing the problems of beggars in the first place.

On another note. I spent over ten years personally supporting a bunch of children around Bali. I had some qualms about this, but whenever I asked close Balinese friends about it, they thought it was a good thing to do. However, I found out that for some of the children, what I was doing was creating jealousy in their villages.

If you're thinking of personally helping/sponsoring a child on a one-to-one basis, please give some thought to the problems you might be inadvertently creating. Whilst your kindness and generosity are always welcome, there are more efficient ways to promote caring on your part. There are many experienced, organised and transparent groups in Bali helping people to help themselves. Pick one or two and support them.

PS - Nearly all of "my children" finished high school. The only thing I ever asked of them was if in the future, they saw others in the same situation, they should remember how they got to where they are.

[BKT]

Giving money to beggars in Jakarta has supposedly been out-lawed.

From what I've been told begging was out-lawed through out all of Indonesia a few years back. In Surabaya they walk around banging pots and pans together claiming there buskers now. So all the government really did there was cause more noise pollution. .