In practice, in at least one province this condition is not observed (Budlender & Woolard, 2006). The grant is sometimes awarded in respect of children who are ill with AIDS. The estimate of the number of children benefiting from child grants in the 2008 NIDS data is 8.6 million which is very slightly lower than the actual number of recipients in April 2008, namely 8.7 million. Figure 3.4 below indicates how many orphans under the age of 15 are currently receiving social assistance according to the NIDS data.16 What is most striking is the high number of paternal orphans receiving grants, particularly the Child Support Grant, and the low number of maternal orphans receiving grants.