— Region Five parents express thanks for ‘Because We Care’ grant

AS distribution of the ‘Because We Care’ cash grant continued on Monday in Region Five, parents at the different distribution centres shared how the grant will be helpful in providing for their children.

Carlton Morris, whose child attends the Belladrum Primary School, said that he and other parents are happy to receive the grant as it will help them to purchase their children’s school resources.

At the Lichfield Primary School, Melissa Dickson said that a lot of parents are not working right now so the grant will be helpful. She said being a single parent she will take the money and deposit it into her daughter’s account and withdraw it to purchase school items when school reopens.

Jason Sam, of Seafield Village, West Coast Berbice, said the grant will do a lot for him since he has been out of a job since the pandemic started. He said that the money will be used to send his daughter off to school as soon as it is reopened.

At the Belladrum Secondary School, Minister of Education Priya Manickchand said that parents live their lives every day, hoping their children can be better than they are and wanting their children to have a life of comfort, void of the struggles they experienced.

She said that the government believes that it is important to help families in making their dreams for their children a reality.
“We know that parents make sacrifices every day for their children and if we can help you by giving what we can afford, then we believe that we can put these children on a pedestal that nobody can remove them from,” the minister remarked.

According to the Education Minister, anything that will help children to gain an education is worth investing in so that they can always have a safety net.
The Chief Education Officer Dr. Marcel Hutson said the grant valued at $19,000 can carry a child a far way. He said that when promises are being kept by a government those promises should not be dismissed. He said that distribution of the grant is testimony to the service the Ministry of Education provides to parents. Dr. Hutson encouraged the parents to make the best use of the funds. The Regional Vice-Chairman Rion Peters said that the grant should be interpreted as the government’s commitment to serving Guyanese, regardless of which region or community, their race or any other reason persons use to divide people. He said that the grant will go a far way to ensure that children are better equipped during the pandemic.

Over at the Fort Wellington Secondary School, Public Service Minister Sonia Parag said the programme seeks to bring relief to parents preparing their children for the new academic term.
“Parents, those of you who have one child, you know how much this means to you. Who have more than one child you know how much this means to you. Because when the school time comes and September comes you and only you know how you have to provide for your children; and so in any small way this money is going to be able to assist you,” she said. (DPI)
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