Is it permissible to sponsor one of the children of a family whose provider has died? Is this considered sponsorship of an orphan? Is the sponsorship of an orphan limited to a specific period?

Sponsoring an orphan is one of the best deeds, as the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, said: "I and the sponsor of an orphan will be in Paradise like this," and he gestured with his index and middle fingers. It is a communal obligation (fard kifaya) and may become an individual obligation (fard ayn) if there is a fear of the orphan being lost. It includes sponsoring children who lost their father before puberty. There is no specific duration for sponsorship, and it is a good deed for which the doer is rewarded.