The well-intentioned giving of junk (pens, candy, plastic toys) to begging kids in the developing world is universally condemned by, among others, their parents and communities. If you doubt this, just ask any village elders along the way. They'll tell you. Aside from anything else, if you stick around watching surreptitiously you'll often see kids fighting over the crap you hand out. Sometimes it gets pretty brutal.

I somewhat like the idea of the inflatable globes, provided there's human contact, conversation (with or without spoken language), and celebration of local values involved. In my mind, I'm trying to offer something of real value--this includes encouraging a sense among locals kids that their own culture and surroundings have value and importance. You're not going to do that by throwing handfuls of candy out the window of your Landrover, as I've seen in various parts of the world.

Long ago in Zaire I met some Israelis who juggled in a very basic way, entertaining and teaching villagers. I started doing that myself, and found it great fun. Most begging kids can be diverted easily in this way. Sometimes I'd pass through the same village a day or two later, and an old toothless crone would beckon me over and demonstrate their juggling prowess with a couple of random stones, surrounded by other adults, all grinning and gleeful. I like that.

The only other things I hand out to people I don't know are cards, which I have printed cheaply before a trip. One of my standards has a glossy color photo of me and KLR, my name, and an email address. Again, I try to communicate my respect for where I am and the people I meet, offering the cards as a durable reminder. I've very seldom actually heard from anyone on my email, and I admit I don't really know whether I'm succeeding in what I'm trying to convey. However, I'm quite confident I'm doing a better job than could be done with any form of injection-molded plastic or sugary sweets.

Gifts for people with whom I've established an actual relationship of any sort are a different story, and a different discussion.

Mark