One of the great strengths of many programmes aimed at delivering care and support to orphans and vulnerable children (OVC) is the way in which they package ‘physical’ with psychosocial support. One of the great weaknesses, however, is the way in which they package ‘physical’ with psychosocial support. By this, I mean that it is admirable that programmes at least recognise that the mental health of OVCs is important, but recent research in Ghana (http://theses.gla.ac.uk/3629/) suggests that rather generic psychosocial support (provided by most programmes) might very well ‘miss the point’ as far as the complex mental health challenges facing orphans is concerned. There is clearly a great deal to do if OVCs are to be provided with the mental health care and support they need (which, research suggests, should also include some attention on how they interact with peers) and deserve. Gede is currently reaching out to leading OVC agencies to discuss this cutting edge research and to see what can be done to support, in greater depth, the mental health needs of OVC