Thanks, Nancie, for your comment and sharing your experiences and observations in Siem Reap. That was actually the first place we became more conscious of this issue ten years ago and I remember discussing it with a couple who had been working with local community organizations for several years. Their advice was also to avoid giving to the children and they opened our eyes up what could be behind it, and the harm it could do.

Agree that tooth decay and other health problems are some of the unintended consequences of giving sweets or sodas or other foods foreign to an area to kids. Thanks for highlighting this in the articles.

Here are two articles about it

New York Times article in 1991 — Tourists and Toothache

http://www.nytimes.com/1991/03/11/world/lukla-journal-everest-s-changing-land-tourists-and-toothache.html

Responsible Tourism in Nepal.

http://www.responsibletravel.com/holidays/nepal/travel-guide/responsible-tourism-in-nepal

I can imagine it is quite challenging to try and explain the nuances to your children. Really glad to hear that this post helped with finding some creative and sustainable ways to engage with local communities, and offer a good example for your children.

Thanks for sharing this, Ross. Although your experiences with begging in Ethiopia were challenging, we are glad the approaches we suggest in the article resonate with you.

Sometimes it’s so difficult to say no but it is 100% better to go through a better channel like the ones you mentioned above.

Well done guys, I’ll be sharing this post!

Habtamu, yes we have talked with some children — either directly or through interpreters — to ask why they are begging. As mentioned in the article, poverty is real and we are not denying that reality in many parts of the world. However, as we wrote we believe there are alternative ways to better support these children and their families — through local community organizations, purchasing food, supporting schools, etc. — than to give directly to children who beg from tourists. And that is why we have advocated for tourists to look for alternative, more sustainable ways to give and try and help.