Is it permissible to set aside a portion of the Zakat for a sponsored orphan child and spend on him from it throughout the year, knowing that he is not a relative and one is not obligated to spend on him?

Sponsoring an orphan and showing kindness to them is a deed of immense reward. It is permissible to give the guardian some of the zakat for the orphan they sponsor, and it is permissible for them to spend it on the orphan or place it in a savings account for them, provided that the zakat becomes the property of the poor orphan. A distinction must be made between legitimate orphan sponsorship and prohibited adoption.