There are many wonderful things that we can do to help the poor. Providing clean drinking water prevents millions of deaths per year. Mosquito nets are inexpensive and have reduced malaria related deaths by 20%.
But what about child sponsorship? How does child sponsorship stack up against these and other ways to help the poor? Economics professor, Bruce Wydick reveals the answer to this question in his recent research findings in Christianity Today.
So what are the best ways to help the poor in developing countries?
To answer this question, I polled top development economists who specialize in analyzing development programs. I asked them to rate, from 0 to 10, some of the most common poverty interventions to which ordinary people donate their money, in terms of impact and cost-effectiveness per donated dollar. …
Of all the long-term development interventions, child sponsorship received the highest rating. Sponsors typically pay $25 to $40 per month, which covers a child’s educational fees, school uniforms, tutoring, health care, and, in faith-based sponsorship organizations, spiritual mentorship. Many development economists today favor interventions like child sponsorship that remove practical constraints to education while building a child’s self-esteem, aspirations and goals. In this way, sponsorship relieves both external and internal poverty constraints.