Charity Hires Homeless of Bangkok to Keep City Clean

 

BANGKOK — On Tuesday, dozens of homeless people will roll up their sleeves and get paid by cleaning the streets of Bangkok, thanks to an initiative funded by donations.

The Mirror Foundation’s “Hire Me” program said it will hire elderly homeless people to clean public spaces and help them earn money through the charity. The project aims to organize around one cleaning job a week. Participants will be paid 400 baht in exchange for four to five hours of work.

“Many of these people are older than 50, which is past the age that factories or other workspaces will take on,” project coordinator Benjamas Pangam said. “The 400 baht may not help much, but it will help them to buy some necessities, pay their bus fare, or allow them to get a shower.”

There are currently 38 homeless people in the program, and their first project is to clean the skywalk around the Victory Monument starting at 2pm on Tuesday. The Mirror Foundation is an NGO that assists city dwellers in need.

Benjamas said many of the homeless people were driven to the streets by family problems and economic hardship.

Not everyone can apply for the program. Participants do not include the many homeless people who have psychiatric disorders; they are encouraged to undergo treatment instead.

Those interested in hiring the group for other works can contact the Mirror Foundation at 091-046-8598, or donate to the project to their Siam Commercial Bank account no. 202-2-58289-4.

Source: Charity Hires Homeless of Bangkok to Keep City Clean

Photo: Mirror Foundation / Facebook

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