IDS was commissioned by Plan International to carry out independent research on the development impact of child sponsorship. There had been very little research on the effects of sponsorship, although it is a widely used and effective means of fundraising by many organisations. This research was designed to critically assess the effects of sponsorship on the attitudes, understanding, behaviour and experiences of sponsors and sponsored children, their families and communities.
It examined how and whether sponsorship processes and communications contribute to Plan’s ‘child-centred community development’ (CCCD) objectives and to the realisation of child rights. Additionally, the research examined the influence of child sponsorship processes on Plan’s organisational procedures, learning and change efforts related to CCCD, in order to inform Plan’s development strategies and operations by indicating potential innovations in child sponsorship.
The study, which included fieldwork in four country offices and four national (donor) organisations, was carried out from November 2006 to July 2007.
Please direct all enqueries about this project to Simon Heap at PLAN, email [email protected]
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