Home visiting is a popular component of programs for HIV‐affected children in sub‐Saharan Africa. Many programs are staffed by volunteers whose training and compensation is minimal, raising questions about whether investing in paraprofessional workforce development might yield measurable gains in beneficiaries’ well‐being.

Cash transfers for low‐income families are an effective investment in children’s health and well‐being. Identifying ways to increase social grant uptake among orphans and vulnerable children and their families in South Africa is therefore a priority. Home visitors may be particularly well‐positioned to connect families with the highest grants for which they are eligible.

HIV counseling and testing underpin sustainable epidemic control, and international guidelines call for all children in generalized epidemic settings, such as South Africa, to be tested routinely. Identifying effective strategies for expanding pediatric uptake of HIV counseling and testing services is therefore critical.

Adolescent orphans and vulnerable children (OVC) are at heightened risk of HIV infection. Effective preventive strategies are therefore urgently needed. While behavioural interventions are the cornerstone of HIV prevention, psychological interventions may also hold promise as part of a coordinated effort to decrease sexual risk‐taking.