Because being smart has little necessarily to do with finding a way out of poverty. Your question is approximately as bizarre as asking "if they're smart, why h

Because being smart has little necessarily to do with finding a way out of poverty. Your question is approximately as bizarre as asking "if they're smart, why haven't they found a way to bench press 600 pounds." Yes, some people can bench press 600 pounds, and yes, intelligence will likely help developing and sticking to a training and diet regimine. But there are a lot of people who could never bench press 600 pounds, regardless of how smart, well-trained, etc. they are, due to things completely beyond their control. And I hope that no one would see one of these people and conclude that they must not be very smart if they're unable to bench press 600 pounds.