PLEASE READ: you can help to make a Christmas miracle.

[Moses]

Today I got from one of guides photos how he is surviving: collects shells in the sea and cook with some vegetables:

[Gaybutton]

I'm sorry things are going so badly for them. Unfortunately many of us are trying to deal with our own problems now, because of the crisis. Some of us in Thailand are contributing to the food charities and/or are trying to help individuals.

In my own case, right now I am supporting 2 boys I have known for years and fully trust. They lost their jobs and have no source of income. I am making sure they don't lose their rooms and have money to eat and buy necessities. It's not cheap, but not prohibitively expensive for me. I'm glad to be able to do it.

I'm sure others are doing similar things.

[stkyricesf]

I'm doing the same as Gaybutton and helping out a couple of friends with their rent and food. Since I'll not be traveling to the Land of Smiles any time soon, I'm happy to help them out.

[Gaybutton]

Since I'll not be traveling to the Land of Smiles any time soon, I'm happy to help them out.

I think even if you were traveling to Thailand tomorrow, you would still be helping them. I hope others, it they can afford it, are doing something similar.

[bao-bao]

I think even if you were traveling to Thailand tomorrow, you would still be helping them. I hope others, it they can afford it, are doing something similar.

Some members here may remember a small charity I started working with and posting about back in early 2008. In the years since I've been able to keep up with a few of the boys and girls who are now men and women with families of their own. Two have been struggling due to virus-related problems and work and I've been happy to help with rent, food and the likes. It's given me a better perspective on just how far-reaching the effects of this mess have been.

[Jun]

I hope others, it they can afford it, are doing something similar.

Being a butterfly, there are only perhaps 3 candidates who I have seen several times and might just get a donation in the exceptional circumstances. One of whom would almost certainly receive some cash.
None of these 3 have asked.

Admittedly, I'm out of sight and out of mind, as I operate different phone app accounts when on holiday and have been logged out of those since the holiday finished. However, all 3 listed also have my Line ID. I just logged into my holiday Grindr & Hornet accounts and there are no requests.

I did get one request on Line, from a lad I don't recognise & have not met in the last few years, if ever.
Line ID probably copied from a phone app. He didn't reply to my last correspondence. So not a deserving case.

So currently, my last unearned donation to a boy was in response to the request in this thread. They must be really suffering in the Philippines. Firstly, their properties get destroyed by a typhoon, then when they are thinking about working like hell to rebuild, their tourism industry gets shut down by covid. We have it relatively good.

[Gaybutton]

I did get one request on Line, from a lad I don't recognise & have not met in the last few years, if ever.

I didn't know LINE works in the UK.

Be careful. I quite often get messages from boys I've never heard of. They probably trade contacts with each other and off they go, fishing for money, hoping they'll manage to find a farang and reel one in.

I'm happy to help the boys, but it's going to be boys I know and have known for a very long time and are in circumstances I can verify. It for sure won't be from some stranger who somehow got my contact information. Their messages and pleas for money immediately get deleted and their contact ability gets blocked.

[Jun]

I didn't know LINE works in the UK.

I believe Line is a Japanese owned app and as far as I know, it works everywhere where there is internet and no censorship. Certainly in the UK.
It's very good for the purpose.
In some parts of the world, boys use What's App and that has the huge disadvantage that it uses mobile phone numbers for IDs. There's no way I want an unknown person getting my main mobile phone number, so the work arounds are complicated.

Don't worry, there is no way a boy I don't know will be successful with a request for money. Only the regulars would be considered.

[Gaybutton]

Don't worry, there is no way a boy I don't know will be successful with a request for money. Only the regulars would be considered.

Yes. I hope everyone realizes the difference between a scam attempt and a legitimate need. Some of these boys are experts at tugging at heartstrings and coming up with credible sounding sob stories to scam farang.

[Undaunted]

Every farang I know is giving financial assistance to some Thais they know......For those not in Thailand you can donate money to places offering free food, many of these places I see in my limited travels, instead of waiting for the right plea why not help with the feeding effort! I am concerned with those I see effected, sorry the Philippines at the moment is not my focus.