"Tide Ekapan" delays receiving 1.8 million baht from "Nong Ben," a dutiful girl who collects trash to help her family, citing concerns about legal issues due to the funds not matching the donors' intended purpose.
The case involves Miss Ben, 15 years old, a dutiful girl who wears a school uniform and collects bottles from roadside trash bins to sell after school to help support her family. She lives in a rented room in Khlong Khoi Subdistrict, Pak Kret District, Nonthaburi Province. Within a few days, generous donors transferred over 3.1 million baht to help her before
a wave of criticism arose on social media, attacking her negatively and turning the story into a drama. Subsequently, Nong Ben decided to keep some of the money as education funds. The remaining 1 million baht was intended to be donated to the Ruamkatanyu Foundation to ensure the donated funds benefit the public, as previously reported.
The latest development: at 10:00 a.m. on 17 Apr 2026 GMT+7, Tide Ekapan Banluerit, head volunteer of the Ruamkatanyu Foundation and its representative, visited Nong Ben and her family at their rented room in Pak Kret District, Nonthaburi Province, and spent some time talking with them.
After the discussion with Nong Ben and her family, Tide Ekapan said that today he could not yet accept the donation of 1 million baht that the family intended to give to the foundation for charitable missions. He remains concerned about legal issues, particularly the use of funds contrary to the donors' intent, which was originally meant for Nong Ben’s education. He requested one more month to allow previous donors to decide whether to consent to transferring the funds for charity or to request a refund by submitting proof of their donation for reimbursement.
Mr. Thanadet Thanakornmonop, 59, Nong Ben’s father, admitted he is also very concerned because he does not want the family to face problems similar to past cases. However, he affirmed that the family intends to use 1.8 million baht of the donations to help society and keep 1.3 million baht as Nong Ben’s education fund as originally planned.
Following the drama, Nong Ben has experienced severe stress affecting her health, causing her to cry continuously. She insists that allegations such as selling donated items, as criticized by the public, are untrue.
The story of “Nong Ben,” Miss Benyapha, a Grade 9 student who went viral for collecting plastic bottles from trash bins to support her family, continues to draw public interest amid both praise and questions about the transparency of the situation.
The story began with reports that she cared for her bedridden father for over 16 years while her mother works as a general laborer. This led generous donors to contribute over 1.1 million baht before the family announced closing donations, stating the funds would be used as education funds.
Later, various online pages raised concerns about duplicate aid, allegations of selling donated items, and conflicting information about the father’s condition and the family’s actual situation. Despite closing donations, money continued to be transferred to their account, bringing the total as of 15 Apr 2026 GMT+7 to 3,110,932 baht.
The family intends to keep 1,300,000 baht as education funds and to care for the parents in the future. The remaining 1,810,932 baht is planned to be donated to organizations and those in need, such as the Ruamkatanyu Foundation and Poh Teck Tung Foundation, and to support scholarships at schools. The handover was scheduled for today but has been postponed due to legal issues concerning whether redirecting donations originally intended for Nong Ben’s education to charity constitutes misuse of funds.