What Art_ says is sadly applicable to a large part of the third world.

On the one hand, the sad televised faces, and the short-term aid, are indeed band-aids. It's a kind of triage, I suppose; you help who you can in a given situation. The broader solutions to improving people's lot, and reducing further tragedy, are mired in politics, corruption, indifference, and so on.

On the other hand, the resilience of people in such desperate circumstances is truly remarkable. Given half a chance, and they will keep on as best they can, even in the face of such immense tragedy and loss. In that way, we can learn a little from them. Faced with such bleak and hopeless prospects, I don't know whether I'd lose the heart to keep trying. These people are survivors every day of their lives.

FWIW, I refuse to give up on people. The simplest things make their lives better. I think that long-term projects by NGOs tend to have more practical and useful impact "on the ground" than talk-talk from politicians. So I support several organizations with a bit of my hard-earned cash. As an old book suggests, if you have two coats ...