This paper examines how social protection can be used to protect children and families affected by HIV and AIDS, and specifically, how well cash transfers can fare with respect to securing basic subsistence and reducing poverty, while also protecting the human capital of children - specifically, their education, health and nutrition. The paper reviews evidence to date on the impacts of programs under different designs, and reviews key policy debates that accompany decisions about whether to adopt cash transfers and how to design them to be responsive to the context of HIV and AIDS. In particular, it examines systems, experiences and dilemmas of targeting, and the debate on conditionality, i.e. whether cash transfers should be conditioned on beneficiaries' participation in education and health services.

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