There are many ways to help people who've been affected by the current surge of Covid-19. While providing free meals and donating to hospitals and organisations are among the firsts that come to mind, there are other ways that you may not be aware of. Here are a few.
Live music at home
The Musicians and Crew Association of Thailand is holding an online concert series titled "Open Hat Festival" until Aug 1. It's your opportunity to show your support for musicians and their crew whose livelihood has been practically made zilch since the first wave. Established names and newcomers are in their two-week line-up. Making donations to a band you like is easy since the bank account details are displayed on the screen. The money either goes directly to the band and, in the case of musicians who decide not to accept donations, the money will go to a common aid fund. Catch a six-hour livestream via Open Hat Festival's YouTube channel from 6pm-midnight and check out the line-up at fb.com/OpenHatFestival.
Strong and Sathu
Get fit and be charitable in one go by joining a Zoom class with The Lab this Sunday. The Lab will donate a meal for every person who joins their 9th Anniversary Charity Virtual Bootcamp on July 25 at 5pm through Bangkok Community Help. People of all fitness levels are welcome and you only need to prepare an exercise mat, water and towel. Go to The Lab's Facebook page (fb.com/TheLabBKK) to find the Zoom link and passcode to join.
#NongChanTongDaiLian
The Thai hashtag unofficially translates to "My sis/bro must get to learn" and it sums up this project to help students who don't have smartphones adequate for online learning. The Student Club Management Organization Chulalongkorn University and Khana Glai Tiangkuen (Almost Midnight), a group for youth development, are acting as an intermediary to distribute pre-loved smartphones to students in need so they can continue online learning. The first phase of the project, which runs until July 31, aims to help students in Prathom and lower Matayom levels from 13 schools in Pathumwan and Bang Rak districts of Bangkok. They will extend help to other areas in the future. If you have an old Samsung or iPhone that you no longer use but can't bring yourself to part with, you can give it away for good cause to help prevent kids from dropping out of school. Scan the QR code to see the specs of smartphones that they accept.
Proper Sendoff
This is grim but I believe it's a cause worth spreading. Reportedly, some temples have turned away Covid-19 bodies for fear of possible infection. Wat Sao Thong Hin in Bang Yai district of Nonthaburi does the opposite. The Buddhist temple announced, earlier this month, that they willingly accepted those who died of Covid-19 and bodies of people with no relatives and cremate them for free. The Siam Nonthaburi Foundation takes care of transportation of the deceased for free, as well. They promise a proper sendoff for Covid-19 victims, which includes a blessing ceremony, cremation and ash collection. You can help out by donating money to buy oil. The temple estimates that one body requires 80 litres of oil and asks for donations through their bank account, which has been opened specifically for this cause. Find more details at fb.com/WatSaothonghinNonth.
Medical volunteers needed
The Bangkok Community Help Foundation are looking for volunteers with medical backgrounds. They are searching for doctors, medics, nurses, nursing students or military veterans with medical experience, to help with house calls for those asking for assistance with oxygen. The volunteers must be able to speak Thai and understand the patients symptoms, communicate with the ambulance team, obtain addresses and locations, etc. Most importantly, to help keep the patients calm. Offer your services at bangkokcommunityhelp.com.
If this doesn't make you go sathu, then I don't know what will.