REGISTRATION for the $100,000 cash grant for children living with disabilities began, on Wednesday at several locations across the country.

Children under the age of 18 are required to register with the National Commission on Disability (NCD) in order to receive the grant.

Speaking with this newspaper shortly after completing the registration process, Anne Marie Rockcliffe, a parent whose child lives with a disability, said the grant will be of great assistance to her and her son.

“I think this is very good. These children are really special and they need good and attentive care, so that money will really come in handy to give them more vitamins and supplements they need,” Rockcliffe said.

Caring for a child living with a disability is no easy task, she continued, noting that it can be challenging, physically and financially.

She believes more support is needed for children living with disabilities, especially those who have been diagnosed with disabilities such as autism.

“Children with autism don’t get treat good. [My son’s] autism? I learnt about it recently. But for him, a part of his brain didn’t fully develop; so his speech, he can’t speak properly and there is [sic] the muscles in his fingers [which] gives [sic] him a hard time to write,” Rockcliffe explained.

Another parent, Tracie (only name given), a mother to a 13-year-old autistic girl, praised how simple the registration process was.

“It was normal,” she expressed, adding, “All I had to do was bring my child [sic] school form, [and get the] birth certificate photocopied.”

The woman noted that she completed the process within minutes of arriving at the site.

Meanwhile, another parent, Graceann Johnson said that while she too is grateful for the assistance, she believes the grant should be distributed more regularly as caring for a child with a disability is not easy.

“It’s a great initiative that the government is giving back to the children that are differently-abled. I am so happy,” she said.

President, Dr Irfaan Ali, in early June announced a one-off $100,000 cash grant for children living with disabilities during a meeting hosted at State House, Main Street, where persons living with disabilities and their caregivers were present.

Among the announcements then were plans for an automatic public assistance for children living with disabilities, transportation for each institution representing persons with disabilities, and $120M for a modern business centre, which will be spearheaded by the First Lady’s Office.

The government has allocated $200 million in this year’s budget to offer direct support to persons living with disabilities. From the allocation, new and improved healthcare facilities will be constructed to assist persons living with disabilities, among other things.

The registration exercise for prospective recipients of the cash grant will continue until June 24. Registration opens from 08:00hrs to 16:00hrs on weekdays, and from 09:00 hrs to 13:00hrs on Saturdays.

Parents and guardians are advised to walk with their identification documents, their child’s birth certificate, and school form or a medical certificate.

Full details on distribution sites across the country are available on Page 2 of the Wednesday, June 15 edition of the Guyana Chronicle, or on the Facebook page of the Ministry of Human Services and Social Security.