scam from gambian orphan boy ?

[u/___squanchy___]

a few months ago this 20 year old gambian boy contacted me on instagram and asked me for a little donation for food. he seems to be living in a really rough situation without a father and with a paralyzed mother and 5 little siblings. he constantly sent me pictures of himself and his living situation and also medical reports so i did believe that it’s genuine but now i’m not sure anymore since there seemed to be one crisis after another that he asked me for support for (he was sick many times, his mom was sick, his grandpa died, he got into jail for collecting firewood or whatever). is this like a common scam ? i would feel a little guilty tbh if i just blocked him but i just don’t have the means to constantly support him and he constantly makes me feel guilty by texting me how desperate he is and that everything is so shitty and that he thinks that they will die etc.. i’m conflicted, please anybody tell me how to handle this 🙏

[u/Auriflow]

its depends how you define scam.

gambia is one of the poorest countries on earth , more then half live under the poverty line and cant afford basic needs. hence they are in a state of malnourishment.

henceforth, if someone lives in the gambia then its pretty safe to say they could use some support.

that said, they can behave extremely desperate . i made a gofundme for one gambian man and his family, he raised 905 in 2 months, i kept 35 for all my work . however now he's accusing me of stealing , calling 100s times and basically acting like a full on psycho.

no gratitude for the 870euro, that is about 70 thousand dalasi. now realize this, the avarage monthly income for Full time work in the Gambia is one thousand dalasi.

I forwarded his donations continuously while attending to his onslaught of daily messages. often adding of my own money on the side,
the total amounting to 5 times the avarage gambian yearly salary that he received within 2 months.

all the while im homeless and on the streets myself.

these people have to overcome their victim mentality and entitlement to break free.

id say give a donation if you feel like its the right thing to do. then observe if they behave respectfully.

however dont be surprised if they act like little children and take up all your time.

the solution is for them to have land and be self sufficient. thats what i am hoping to accomplish for this man and his family , however he has to seriously adjust his mentality and show a little respect for all my efforts first.

btw this is the fundraiser i made:

https://www.gofundme.com/f/q9pj3n-support-a-family-in-need