Government to help poor Thai family's kids

[webfact]

Government to help poor family's kids

BANGKOK: -- The government is now introducing a program to assist poor families with young children by providing them with a monthly allowance of 400 baht as a way to support child development in the long run, according to National News Bureau of Thailand (NNT).

Deputy prime minister Yongyut Yuttawong stated that the first five years of life is the most crucial period for a child’s development, and it has been witnessed in many countries that the provision of proper care for the young ones from the very beginning can help them grow up to be equality citizens.

Therefore, he said the government has been studying measures adopted by other countries that are investing in child welfare and has come up with a programme that targets low-income families in particular.

NNT said under the new program, every child in a poor family who is aged five or below will be entitled to an allowance of 400 baht per month.

According to Minister of Social Development and Human Security Pol Gen Adul Saengsingkaew, Thailand sees a total of 800,000 newborn babies every year. Out of the number, about 135,000 are born to impoverished families and they will be included in the financial aid program.

The program is expected to be piloted within this year and will be evaluated periodically. Teams of public health volunteers are being sent out across the country to identify the target group in each locality and they will also facilitate the registration process, which will take place at the local administrative office.

Source: http://englishnews.thaipbs.or.th/government-to-help-poor-familys-kids

-- Thai PBS 2015-06-12

[ratcatcher]

I await the "Populist Policy" comments.

[seajae]

how about teaching them about contraception so that these poor families stop spitting kids out when they cannot afford to keep them, its one thing for an unwanted/unplanned pregnancy but when they do it continually you really have to wonder. Having families/kids is great but you also need to be in a position to care and nurture them, bringing them into a world where they live on scraps/handouts because their parent/s are to poor to feed and clothe them is not a good idea in any country.

[h90]

If you give them 400 Baht more per month, how should that help the childrens development if the father buys more lao kao for 400 Baht.

They should had out voucher that can be only used for books, pencils, school uniforms etc.

Or MAYBE for some approved food: lean meat, eggs, milk products, not sweets, not coke, not rice, not alcohol.

[halloween]

Hmmm, yeah, and for older kids subsidise school fees and text books. Which was a great policy scrapped by the last government because they needed for money for crap tablets. Oh, and because there's no such thing as a good policy if Thaksin didn't think of it first, or at least claim to.

[Toknarok]

I wonder how they will determine who is 'poor' or not. i forsee many difficulties in implementing a scheme such as this and potential for 'fiddling' the system.

[Usual Suspect]

As with most of these schemes..any 'free' handouts, by the time this money gets to the Issan villages it will have become a loan..

...this has been going on for years with the farmers & families.

[Crazy chef 1]

just held the so called "fathers" responsible who have done a runner...

[masquerade]

If you give them 400 Baht more per month, how should that help the childrens development if the father buys more lao kao for 400 Baht.

They should had out voucher that can be only used for books, pencils, school uniforms etc.

Or MAYBE for some approved food: lean meat, eggs, milk products, not sweets, not coke, not rice, not alcohol.

Spot on, money for jam whisky.

[billd766]

But but but that is the job of the PTP to help the poor and certainly NOT the task of a military government.

That is so unfair of the General.

[DLock]

Dumb.

Why not every poor kid a decent pair of shoes, or milk at school, or free transport to school, or free lunch vouchers or free school supplies or.....or anything that hopefully actually has a chance of going to the kid.

Giving money to a family FOR the kid almost guarantees the kid will never see the benefit of it.

[billd766]

Dumb.

Why not every poor kid a decent pair of shoes, or milk at school, or free transport to school, or free lunch vouchers or free school supplies or.....or anything that hopefully actually has a chance of going to the kid.

Giving money to a family FOR the kid almost guarantees the kid will never see the benefit of it.

Actually it isn't dumb as not all Thai families steal from their children.

Probably the majority actually do love and care for them just the same as foreigners care for their children.

Of course in quite a few cases it will be abused as in quite a few cases children are abused. This happens all over the world and while it comes out as news what doesn't come out is the perhaps 80 or 90% normal families. That is because it is nothing special or out of the ordinary to look after and treat your children well.

Good news doesn't sell, bad news does.

[rethaier]

400 baht? What is that piddling amount going to accomplish?

Edited June 12, 2015 by rethaier

[DLock]

Dumb.

Why not every poor kid a decent pair of shoes, or milk at school, or free transport to school, or free lunch vouchers or free school supplies or.....or anything that hopefully actually has a chance of going to the kid.

Giving money to a family FOR the kid almost guarantees the kid will never see the benefit of it.

Actually it isn't dumb as not all Thai families steal from their children.

Probably the majority actually do love and care for them just the same as foreigners care for their children.

Of course in quite a few cases it will be abused as in quite a few cases children are abused. This happens all over the world and while it comes out as news what doesn't come out is the perhaps 80 or 90% normal families. That is because it is nothing special or out of the ordinary to look after and treat your children well.

Good news doesn't sell, bad news does.

Agree, and I know some wonderful families where they make every effort for the kids education...

But giving money to a poor family may be too tempting to use it elsewhere...not on negative things...just things that need to be paid.

Just think there might be better ways to use that money to benefit the kids than giving it the family.

Off topic story...Last year my wife bought her 2 nieces their first pair of leather school shoes. They were so excited. On the very first day of school, when they had to take their shoes off for class, when they went back out to go home, someone had stolen their new shoes and they had to walk him in socks. Broke my heart that someone would do that to little girls. Bought them new ones, used a soldering iron to engrave the soles, and told the school that if it ever happens again, they would be paying...never happened again.

[elgordo38]

I wonder how they will determine who is 'poor' or not. i forsee many difficulties in implementing a scheme such as this and potential for 'fiddling' the system.

Is that fiddling or diddling the system. I once took fiddling lessons but was never any good at it. Is it one of reverse systems where 400 bahts is forthcoming and then gets massaged down to a mere pittance upon arrival at the recipients address? In the West they call that administration costs. You give a $ to charity and .90 cents goes towards administration. Seems like this does not benefit the person it was meant for. Oh well must go buy a lottery ticket my palms are itching like crazy. I must be due. Boy these lottery prizes here are very small when you consider what you pay for a ticket. When you win the government is standing there with its hand outstretched as well. Where I come from the price is slightly higher and I can win up to 1.5 billion bahts and hey its all mine to keep. I wonder where all the profits from lottery here go? Would be interested in finding out.

[dageurreotype]

400 baht? What is that piddling amount going to accomplish?

That was my first thought, my second was that if it were any more they'd be breeding like rats.

[mmh8]

I read about this, apparantly they take the children and provide a mixture of electricty credits and sausage depending on the LHV of the child, of course the mass to them the higher the credit and sausage returns

[Lupatria]

Government to help poor Thai family's kids

…after Government members rest assured their own spoiled brats got everything they dreamed of.

I would like to accompany Deputy prime minister Yongyut Yuttawong, on a shopping spree with 400 baht to see what he is buying to help developing one single child.

[halloween]

B400 is nothing when you have plenty, and quite a bit when you have nothing.

[Prbkk]

There shouldn't be any "impoverished" families in Thailand. If the govt was able to collect the unpaid taxes the funds for social welfare and education programs would be in place.

[halloween]

There shouldn't be any "impoverished" families in Thailand. If the govt was able to collect the unpaid taxes the funds for social welfare and education programs would be in place.

The education assistance program was in place. It disappeared along with B700+ billion lost in the rice scam. Could have paid for a bit of social welfare, don't you think?

[MaeJoMTB]

Wouldn't it just be easier to stop the teachers at government schools to stop extorting money from their pupils.

Payments for 'project work', outings, unneeded uniforms, extra lessons, etc.

[dageurreotype]

There shouldn't be any "impoverished" families in Thailand. If the govt was able to collect the unpaid taxes the funds for social welfare and education programs would be in place.

Or redirect it away from their overseas bank accounts.

[Robby nz]

Dumb.

Why not every poor kid a decent pair of shoes, or milk at school, or free transport to school, or free lunch vouchers or free school supplies or.....or anything that hopefully actually has a chance of going to the kid.

Giving money to a family FOR the kid almost guarantees the kid will never see the benefit of it.

There is free school milk, and in some cases free transport to school particularly in military towns like Lopburi where the military provide school buses, with guards even.

In some instances there are free school lunches for poor kids and there was free or subsidised school supplies until PT took over and they cancelled that program because it was an Abhisit Govt inactive and replaced it with tablets.....Wherever they may be now.

[DLock]

Dumb.

Why not every poor kid a decent pair of shoes, or milk at school, or free transport to school, or free lunch vouchers or free school supplies or.....or anything that hopefully actually has a chance of going to the kid.

Giving money to a family FOR the kid almost guarantees the kid will never see the benefit of it.

Crap ! But then again I would not expect an intelligent comment from you.

How the hell would you know what would happen to the money ?

This has to better than a rice scheme that was meant to benefit the poor that gave them not one baht whatsoever. What it did in fact was to affect the "not so poor", the farmers who could grow enough rice to sell to the scheme, thinking they were going to make a killing.

Well history will tell you what happened to those farmers and the protests that they launched on Bangkok astride their tractors.

................"Why not every poor kid a decent pair of shoes, or milk at school, or free transport to school, or free lunch vouchers or free school supplies or.....or anything that hopefully actually has a chance of going to the kid."..............................

Did you offer these words of wisdom to the previous government when they were going crazy with populist policies ?

I don't recall saying the rice scheme was a good idea...so linking my comments to that makes you look particularly stupid.

Beer money run out again? It's only the 12th.

[djjamie]

This is a heart felt initiative by the government, but I fear it will be abused by the parents with the money being used on anything, but the kids. More thought needs to go into this and in fact some TVF members came up with some sound ideas like the vouchers.

Funnily enough my wife and I went to the Khon Kaen orphanage to drop off donations yesterday. It is funded by the government, but I asked (through my wife) how much they rely on donations. They told my wife not as much now as they did before since the new government came to power as they have increased funding for them. It is well worth while cause and to see the smiles on the faces of those kids is priceless when they get the toys my kids don't play with anymore. If you go down there to drop off some donations instead of drinking your pension money away while being bitter and twisted about the Junta you should look out for the kid in the Bombers jacket that we donated yesterday!!!

Another tick in the box for the Junta.

Edited June 12, 2015 by djjamie

[Nick167]

Wow...Bt 400...enough to buy what??????

[149er]

300.- for the family, 100.- for local authorities management fees.

[JOC]

Wow...Bt 400...enough to buy what??????

For a single mother working at 7-Eleven is represents:

A 5% increase of her monthly wage

Or

Enough to feed her and her child for a couple of days

Might come as a surprise to you,but according to UN 12.6% of the Thai population is below the poverty line, and I am sure for those people 400 baht will make a difference!!

[baboon]

This is a heart felt initiative by the government, but I fear it will be abused by the parents with the money being used on anything, but the kids. More thought needs to go into this and in fact some TVF members came up with some sound ideas like the vouchers.

Funnily enough my wife and I went to the Khon Kaen orphanage to drop off donations yesterday. It is funded by the government, but I asked (through my wife) how much they rely on donations. They told my wife not as much now as they did before since the new government came to power as they have increased funding for them. It is well worth while cause and to see the smiles on the faces of those kids is priceless when they get the toys my kids don't play with anymore. If you go down there to drop off some donations instead of drinking your pension money away while being bitter and twisted about the Junta you should look out for the kid in the Bombers jacket that we donated yesterday!!!

Another tick in the box for the Junta.

You aren't the only one who makes such donations, but I'll wager you are the only one on here low enough to use orphans as a prop to push your political agenda.