The first thing my Geography professor told us in college was, "Every problem we have can be boiled dowen to one thing. Too many people."
I thought, "You are heartless." but, in years following I have come to realize that he was right.
When we send food to starving people all we are doing is postponing the inevitable, and insuring that in the long run, even more will starve. They have to work on the problem, not the symptom.