Toby, since you didn't answer my question, I will guess that you do not have any children and do not plan to have any children.

So then the question comes: Who will tend to the needs of the children and grandchildren of the impoverished folks you are helping now? If history is any guide, the folks you are helping will have a lot of descendants and they will all be very needy.

Even if you are having children, it is likely that your descendants will be far fewer in number than the descendents of the poor folks you are helping.

So respectfully, it seems to me you are being selfish by helping to create problems in the future which other peoples' children will be forced to help address. All so you can feel good about yourself by reducing your cognitive dissonance.

JMHO