Philanthropy is many things. It includes emergency aid, which by no means makes people addicted to aid. It includes schools and scholarships which are doing what you ask - leveling the opportunities.

Where philanthropy fails is when its not matched to cultures. Building schools for girls in countries that won't tolerate that - they get closed soon after you leave. Or educating local doctors, who immediately leave the country for a better job in America.

But what can philanthropists do? You can't make people change to suit your goals.