poverty and safety

There were lots of things in the news lately about poverty--aid, crusades, summit etc. I don't have anything against them but i am wondering how come it seems that very little improvement have been achieved? how many years already have so many nations been talking and doing this and that....until I said to myself it is better news than terrorism and yet, when I turned on the television on this warm thursday afternoon the shocking news that there were blasts in London which they think was an act of terrorism....how safe are we people nowadays?