There has been no comprehensive review of the impacts of the financial, fuel and food crises on children and caregivers affected by HIV and AIDS. This is critical, given that the mortality rate among infected children is disproportionate to that faced by adults, and that relatively fewer children have access to necessary antiretroviral therapy (ART). There is a risk that children living with the disease or highly vulnerable to infection will remain invisible in the crisis unless they receive urgent policy attention. The findings of ODI research with UN, Government and NGO staff in Rwanda, Zambia, Mozambique, South Africa, Lesotho, Thailand, Paraguay and the Philippines suggest that the main concerns for children affected by HIV and AIDS lie in budget cutbacks, alongside contraction of specific funds, either planned or because of currency devaluation, and increased drug import costs.