Did I do something right or wrong?

Something has be bugging me for the past 2 days...
On Friday, I was walking toward mrt station from work. I was approached by a teen. She told me that she wanted to find job but due to her illness cannot find one and her mother got diabetics. She need to buy dinner for her siblings and mother. She asked if i can spare $8.

A few thoughts went through my minds:
1) Is it really that hard to find a job in Singapore?
2) Does she really need $8 to buy a dinner for a family given her current financial status?
3) Is diabetics really that such a serious illness that one cannot work?

But I still gave her $7 (that is all the notes I have then) and went on my way. After a distance, I turned back and saw her approaching another person.

On my train ride back, I started to reflect on what I have done and the thoughts that I have during the whole event.

I am right to just give the money and go?

If she is telling the truth, apart from the money, I could have find out any welfare organization that can help them. As the money that I gave will only help them for that day dinner and not in the long.

If she is not telling the truth, the money that I gave although is not much but gave her the impression that lie can earn her easy money. I could have report her to the police as i think it will help her in the long run.

As both are just "if", I could have just offer to buy the dinner with her and follow her to her house to verify what she said. But I think there are 2 factors that stop me:
1) Frankly speaking , I couldn't be bother with
2) Guess too much influence by the tv show. As I am a guy and she is a girl, and if she is not telling the true, I am afraid of being wrongly accused if things turn ugly.


For the 3 thoughts that I have during the event:
1) Is it that hard to find a job in Singapore?
First, I feel that education is very important in Singapore as the market is very competitive. I am glad that I went through all the formal education. At least I got a way to earn my living.

Even without education, there are jobs still available in Singapore that can earn a living but with more hard work. Even physically challenged can find his/her place in Singapore. For this, I would like to salute those companies that employed them. This acknowledge that they can also contribute to the society. "Slow,stubborn and forgetful" are usually the words to describe the senior citizens. But I dun see these negative traits in those that I encountered, instead I see knowledgeable and zest in life.

All in all I think finding a job is fairly easy but the question is does the job and you has matching expectations and how much effort you want to put in match it? Is cleaning job too low for you? Is standing all day too tired for you? Is salary too little for you? Is the job too hard for you?

Btw both my parents never complete secondary school education, but they knows that in Singapore that education is the most direct way to break the cycle.

2) Does she really need $8 to buy a dinner for a family given her current financial status?
8 dollars.. can buy 4 packets of chicken rice... or 3 packets of instant noodles (10 piece of noodle per pack). Personally, I will take instant noodles when I am low on cash. But maybe the gas and water supply is cut...

3) Is diabetics really that such a serious illness that one cannot work?
I am not a doctor so how i feel is based on what I see. Both my parent, in the late fifties, have diabetic and still working... However, diabetic does need constant medication and special care...