Yes, people are starving in foreign nations, where the tyrants there pocket the foreign aid money meant for the starving people and destroy any non-state-run farms.
Unless you want to have the military invade those nations, which I am not completely against, there is nothing we can do for them with our money. So let's instead use our money to advance science and improve the quality of life for us.
My point is the funds should be used for something contructive, not uniting some geek with his child hood dream of petting a furry elephant.