I don't know if this has been discussed before or even if it's the right forum for this, but I feel the need to vent.
Let me explain; I've just finished three months crossing Morocco by bicycle, overall an overwhelmingly positive experience.
However, it seems that many years ago some philanthropic travelling type decided it would be a great idea to hand out pens to children, presumably motivated by the impression that it would help their education. This has caught on so much that in many areas of Morocco the standard greeting by a child to any foreigner is 'Moosoo, donnez-moi un stylo', with occasional variants on the theme; 'donnez-moi un bonbon', 'donnez-moi un dirham', to the no-nonsense 'donnez-moi quelque chose' (give me something)!
Cyclists are peculiarly vulnerable to the consequences of this. We move slowly and are completely exposed; when surrounded by a crown of expectant kids we can't just wind up the windows and move on. And obviously we can't be carrying bulk packs of pens to hand out.
It's usually not difficult to deal with, usually, but takes a few minutes of explaining that no, you don't have any stylos or sweets or money to give them and no, they can't have your spare tyre or water bottle or pump. But it becomes grinding to have to pass through village after village just to run the gauntlet of dozens of children chasing you demanding things. And it's heartbreaking to see an eight year old, sometimes with a 2 year old strapped to her back, spotting you from a distance and doing the hundred yard dash from her home to the road, just to greet you with the inevitable outstretched hand and demand for a stylo. And in extreme cases frustrated expectations can lead to stone throwing.
I have the impression of well meaning but misguided overlanders doling out pens and sweets from the back of their 4 by 4's, like some berserk Santa Claus; apparently the Paris-Dakar crowd are especially guilty of this.
Now consider what your opinion would be of strangers coming to your neighbourhood and, however innocently, handing out pens, sweets and money to your own children. There is, I think, a passage in 'Sahara Overland' that recommends giving pens as a reward for taking pictures of children. Sorry, no. Apart from the dodgy ethics and double standards (again what would you think of the same behaviour in your own country?), this simply makes many places no-go areas for photography.
Really people, you're not helping, at least not in the way you imagine - what do you think happens to all the pens doled out? Here's a clue - the resale value of a Bic ball-point is 50 centimes.
If you truly want to help then there's no short cut - get involved. Go to the local schools, talk to the teachers and ask them how you can help; the one's I've met haven't, for instance, complained of any lack of pens. Even better, ask permission to address a class, explain to the children what you're doing, talk about your country, show them that tourists are more than pen and sweet dispensers. If you don't have the time then spend a bit of money and satisfy yourself that you're helping the local economy. But please, leave the pens at home and stop turning the nation's children into beggars.

Tom Platts-Mills
Nouadhibou, Mauritania