‘Because We care’ cash grant would secure children’s futures

-Minister McCoy tells Dora, Yarowkabra residents

Minister within the Office of the Prime Minister with responsibility for Public Affairs, Kwame McCoy MP, on Friday, rolled out the ‘Because We Care’ cash grant in the Dora, Yarowkabra and nearby communities.

While speaking with teachers, parents and guardians gathered at the Dora Secondary School, he said the Government is determined to keep its promises because it values its integrity.

Minister McCoy noted that the investment made in the children now augurs well for their futures, and that of the nation.

Minister within the Office of the Prime Minister with responsibility for Public Affairs, Kwame McCoy, MP, interacts with a parent at the Dora Secondary School

“This is the type of investment that will harbour no regret because at the end of the day, we have to, at the best of our skills and our ability, do everything possible to help our children… to make them the type of citizens in society, when they reach the age of accountability and adulthood … they will be able to function well in society.

“They must succeed. They must reach their dreams and ambition.”

Minister within the Office of the Prime Minister with responsibility for Public Affairs, Kwame McCoy MP, hands over a ‘Because We Care’ cash grant to this father

The Minister acknowledged that parents, teachers and guardians would have made significant investments and sacrifices for children, especially since the onset of the pandemic.  Teachers, he noted, have had to adapt to help students remain engaged during this time.  As such, from the moment the PPP/C administration took office, it has been working to ensure it makes life better for every Guyanese.

Minister McCoy then noted the difference between the ‘Because We Care’ cash grant and the ‘Five Bs’ programme initiated by the Coalition after they discontinued the $10,000 cash grant for school children. He said the ‘Five Bs’ programme only benefitted a small percentage of children across Guyana.

“This is not about whether you live at Crabwood Creek, Leguan, Plaisance or wherever, this is a grant for the children of Guyana who are in school.”

This Government cares about the difficulties people face and makes interventions to buttress them, as it did with the $25,000 per household COVID-19 relief cash grant, he said.

“And that is what a Government ought to do, that’s why Governments exist.

“We must be able to look at communities, look at various groups, look at situations around our country, examine those, read the patterns and make interventions to better people’s conditions.”

The PPP/C administration, Minister McCoy reiterated, is a Government for everyone.

“After the elections, our business is getting down to the business of the people of this country: making people’s lives better and working in people’s interest, and taking care of our children, taking care of our parents, taking care of the elderly, making sure that our infrastructure is developed, making sure that our economy works and works for all the people of this country, not for one group, not for one race, not for just a set of people.”

Several persons told DPI that they intended to use the sums to improve the lives of their children.

“I think it’s a very good thing that is happening here today because it’s so many parents that are single parents and stuff like that, but they can find this money being useful.

Ms. Patricia Hope

“You have parents that can’t afford school clothes. You have parents that can’t afford to put in a Wi-Fi so that the children could have their studies going on. So, I think it is a really good thing today and I really do appreciate it,” Ms. Patricia Gordon, a mother of two, said.

Mr. Clive Hope

Another parent, Mr. Clive Hope, a father of six said he intends to use the grant to ensure that his children are ready for school.

“I feel great… The previous Government or before, I never really experience nothing like this and since this Civic party in this Government, at least a lot of things I see.

“And I know for my age and I could recognise that it is really good, really good for the children them and at first, we had the cash grant of the $25,000. It really good, really, really good,” he said.

Ms. Rajpattie Persaud

Ms. Rajpattie Persaud, also said she was thankful for the initiative.

“I’m very happy about it because I’m a single parent of four and I would really like to get a computer for them.

“So, I would see what else I could accumulate and put it together so they could get to study at home because of the Covid, they can’t really go about and come out to school,” she said.

Ms. Carmen Higgins

Another parent of Yarowkabra, Ms. Carmen Higgins, is also grateful for the cash.  “I feel great. I feel wonderful because at least it could help because I am a single parent; I   I have six children. Presently, right now, my eldest child she is a teacher. I normally do for a living coal burning, I burn coals,” she said.

Residents all heaped praise on the Government for the initiative.