Yes, after all, he who later became the Buddha only set out on his path toward enlightenment because, like we, he couldn't close his eyes to the suffering that surrounded him. And although Buddhism is essentially a means by which we can learn to accept that suffering while moving our consciousness to a higher plane, it also carries with it the tenet that when one sees someone, or something, that could benefit by our assistance, we are bound by that belief system to do our best to solve the problem - even at the cost of our own safety or well being.
It brings to mind an anectdote that I read long ago, perhaps in The Biography of Paramahansa Yogananda - not a Buddhist, but nevertheless:
While sitting next to the rivers edge, the master and his disciple noticed a scorpion struggling in the water. The master, using a leaf, scooped the scorpion from the water and when it was safe on the shore it stung the master. "But master," remarked the disciple. "Did you not know that the scorpion would sting you?" "Of course," replied the master. Naturally, the disciple was curious as to why the master took that course of action. The master's answer was that had he not done so the scorpion would have drowned.
It is not always easy to know what the correct course of action is to alleviate the suffering around us, but often self sacrifice is the key. Being an imperfect human being though, I often plead ignorance to knowing what that "correct action" truly is. Somewhere though, in the recesses of our consciousness the answer dwells and awaits our true motivation to seek it out and find it. In light of that and in somewhat of the same context, I believe that we all have the ability to affect positive change. Yet, as I stated in a previous posting, we can't always expect to see quick results.
There are those who would say that altruism doesn't exist...it's only a word. I for one disagree.