A Walk Along Sukhumvit

After spending the whole of last week setting up Help A Buddy, I decided to relax went to town on Friday to meet an old friend who has just moved here. As I was walking down the street of the endless Sukhumvit road, I came across 2 homeless men in just 5 minutes.

The first man looked 70 years old or so, sitting on the side walk, making traditional rope and string handicrafts. He had a white and bushy beard and wore a shirt that was so stained I could barely tell it was white. All I could think of was what would happen if he could only have a trim, a nice t-shirt and a nice, warm shower. I quickly snapped a photo of him, and continued walking passed him like the others.

The second man I came across was carrying a garbage bag and a medium sized plastic bag, which I think were filled by his belongings. The man walked passed everyone with his head down, tired eyes half open.

When we talk about homeless people, we often think of them as beggars involved in mafia-associated organisations- whether they are carrying an infant in their arms while holding a child who might not even belong to them or a disabled man begging for change at the BTS exit. However, throughout the past few years, I have realized that most of the homeless people are actually "invisible" because they often try to fade amongst other people for reasons such as shame and embarrassment. They do not seek for attention or sympathy, even though they need them to get their lives back on track.

I know that it is almost impossible to make a huge difference or to change the lives of every single homeless person. Yet, I strongly believe that by continuously helping them, we could perhaps, spark a movement.

“No one has ever become poor by giving” - written by Anne Frank at 13 years old.

*These photos were taken prior to our name change*