Joe Carter helpfully summarizes a peer-reviewed, independent study on the viability of international child sponsorship led by Bruce Wydick, professor of economics and international studies at the University of San Francisco. Key findings:
- Former Compassion sponsored children stay in school 1 to 1.5 years longer than their non-sponsored peers (In Uganda, the numbers are much higher—2.4 years). An extra year of schooling could have long-lasting impact on a child’s future employment possibilities as an adult.
- Former Compassion sponsored children were 27-40 percent more likely to finish secondary education than those who were not enrolled in the child sponsorship program.
- Former Compassion sponsored children were 50-80 percent more likely to complete a university education than non-sponsored children.
- As adults, former Compassion sponsored children were 14-18 percent more likely to have salaried employment than their non-sponsored peers.
- As adults, former Compassion sponsored children were roughly 35 percent more likely to secure white-collar employment than their non-sponsored peers.
- Former Compassion sponsored children were 30-75 percent more likely to become community leaders as adults than their non-sponsored peers.
- Former Compassion sponsored children were 40-70 percent more likely to become church leaders as adults than their non-sponsored peers.
Read more from Carter. Also, Christianity Today has published a lengthy article by Professor Wydick on his team’s investigation.