That's a tricky one. As a lot of people have said on here, it's hard to totally trust a stranger on the internet with a lot of money. There's a chance that it's totally true and the situation they are in would be solved (or helped) with a lot of SteemPower. But then, they are someone on the internet and if you can't verify what they are doing with that money, who knows what that is going to. I love the idea of giving straight to an individual, and having them step up and be change in their community but it's more risky. Maybe if in the future we have verified charity profiles who can show each and every thing they do with their power, then we can invest in them without worrying about fueling something else.

Also, with that much invested here, I would want Steemit to be sustainable so my investment grows in the future, and curating good content by thoughtful and determined users would also be a step to making this place grow and thrive.
From what I've seen, Steemit is treading on new ground and is in a unique position to keep growing, if done right.