 In Recom, UANUIDA's global network of researchers compile and assess the best evidence on the impact of foreign aid. Here we look closer at how it works in the social sectors, such as health, education, water, sanitation and social protection. These are essential to improve the lives of the world's poor. More education, better health and nutrition all translate into greater productivity and higher incomes, which ultimately promote economic growth and human development. Aid to the social sectors and the number of donors have been quickly growing. For instance, since the 1990s, aid to healthcare has increased almost three times to 12 billion dollars. How could those billions of dollars be used better? First, donors need to be patient. A six-year-old who starts school now will not be productive for at least another 15 years and making sure that the six-year-old actually starts school in the first place requires both parents and policymakers to address constraints on education, constraints such as poor health and malnutrition, which are effects of poverty. The researchers also found signs of success in aid. For instance, a sustained average annual envelope of $25 of aid per capita to a country with a population of 30 million would augment average schooling by 0.4 years, boost life expectancy by 1.3 years and reduced infant mortality by 7 in every 1,000 births. The increase in education aid has helped more children to start school. Enrollment rates in primary education have increased markedly in sub-Saharan Africa from just above 50% in the early 1990s to nearly 80% in 2010. Healthcare policy has shown positive results. Since 1990, deaths caused by malaria have decreased by 25% and the death rate from tuberculosis has been reduced by almost half during much the same period. Still, in low-income countries, almost half of all children under five years old are underweight and globally, 2.5 billion people have no access to sanitation facilities. UNU Wider researchers from all over the world have come together to find out what works, what could work, what is scalable and what is transferable in foreign aid. To learn more, come visit our website at recon.wider.unu.edu.