microcredit seems hopeful: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grameen_Bank

While the love of profit can be evil, if a business is actually creating value (eg. a windmill saves the labour of hand-milling flour; division of labour; technology in general, including methods of organizing labour), there's an opportunity for the bigger pie thereby created to benefit everyone.

Just shifting money around (which includes theft as well as charity) doesn't help except in temporary emergencies.