The BBC reports positive outcome from child sponsorship:

There has been very little previous research into whether the $3bn (£2bn) transferred from the rich world to the poor through sponsoring children actually has a measurable impact.

So academics from the University of San Francisco decided to undertake the most wide-ranging study yet in six developing countries – Bolivia, Guatemala, India, Kenya, the Philippines, and Uganda.

The full report is at BBC News – Is child sponsorship ethical?.