I ask for your patience ahead of time; I'm sure this is going to be awkward as I try to explain my perception of this topic. (I suddenly feel awkward and clumsy about everything...lol.)
Certainly the main point is very obvious, and with which you agree: Ideally, we would heal the systems which lead to and perpetuate poverty. THAT is the ideal and goal and we should always have social justice as our goal.
But, as you said, in the meantime, people are suffering.
(I know what I'm saying here you know already, but in case someone is reading who hasn't thought about this before, I'll elaborate as best I can.)
For many -- especially those who have been the recipients of assistance -- the term "charity" in and of itself has begun to trigger a knee-jerk cringing response. Much of it has to do with the intention of the person offering aid. Do they look down upon the person they're assisting as "less than" in some way, even subconsciously? Do they expect something of the person they are aiding?
If someone is hungry or their child is hungry and they need a place to sleep, if a faith-based organization requires they pray with them first, chances are they're going to do it, even if they're atheist. The faith-based initiatives are often the most widely available and effective, but some (certainly not all) require participation in their religion in some way before they'll give the help offered.
The point bobbolink was often trying to make is that in many cases, the assistance offered is done to assuage the ego/conscience of the person helping, much more than to help the recipient. As in the faith-based initiative example, help is help, especially in dire situations, yet the situation isn't one of equality and certainly isn't healing. There is an inequality, a power dynamic involved.
This is one of my favorite graphics which, to me, explains the subtle differences involved, and it has to do with intention.
Here is an excerpt of a really good essay about this topic. I encourage you to follow the link to read the whole thing. I think it's very powerful.
"Helping incurs debt. When you help someone, they owe you one. But serving, like healing, is mutual. There is no debt. I am as served as the person I am serving. When I help, I have a feeling of satisfaction. When I serve, I have a feeling of gratitude. These are very different things.
Serving is also different from fixing. When I fix a person, I perceive them as broken, and their brokenness requires me to act. When I fix, I do not see the wholeness in the other person or trust the integrity of the life in them. When I serve, I see and trust that wholeness. It is what I am responding to and collaborating with."
http://www.infj.com/ServingVsHelping.htm
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