I think the reason a lot of people choose to help those overseas or causes that are overseas, is because it’s a lot easier to do good with less money. If you donate $40 a month to a cause based in africa, you can feed a child for a month, or restore someones eyesight. That same $40 where I am will buy food for a day. There’s also more support systems in place locally than poor countries where access to clean water or medicine is limited. I realize that the USA doesn’t have as many support systems for the impoverished as we do, so maybe my view is a little tilted in this regards. I just know that here if someone is hungry, they can run to the food bank, and for the most part the food there is of similar quality to what i buy at the grocery store.
I like to do a lot to help conservation efforts to protect ecosystems. One of my favorite charities is the Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund. If I donate $100 there, they will employ someone for a week with that money. That person will then have the funds to feed his family, all while protecting the natural habitat and saving a species in danger. If I attempt to donate that same money here, it will go to buying office supplies.
I’m not saying we should not help out locally, just that for the bang of the buck, more can be done on an international basis. Either way, I think that giving is important.