Have you ever turned on the TV and seen pictures of starving children covered in flies followed by an appeal to help the poor?
In order to really help the poor we need to stop seeing them as victims and instead see their potential as children of God.
Here is a video with some thoughts along these lines from a worker in Nicaragua:
Here is a link to the video and some excerpts at the PovertCure.org website: http://www.povertycure.org/voices/anielka-mnkel/#When:23:13:22Z