58 Mile mother of five grateful for ‘Because We Care’ cash grant

Annmarie Allicock, a mother of five residing at 58 Mile, Region 10 was one of the first to benefit from the Government’s ‘Because We Care’ cash grant which was taken to several communities along the Linden/Lethem trail on Friday.

Allicock received grants totaling $95,000 for her nursery and primary aged children. She said she will be using the money to purchase reading and writing books, pencils and other school supplies for the new academic term in September.

“I feel good because it’s a long time we didn’t had anything and it has been hard. Now I can but things to get my children back to school,”she told DPI.

The distribution exercise, which was led by Minister of Public Service, Sonia Parag MP,

was also taken to 47 Mile and Mabura Hill Primary schools. The initiative provides $15,000 through the ‘Because We Care’ cash grant and $4,000 under the School Uniform and Supplies cash grant, totaling $19,000 per child.

At 47 Mile, Patricia Craft, an elderly woman was emotional when she received her cash grant for her grandchild, who she has been caring for since the age of three months old.  She will now be able to purchase books, pencils and other school supplies as she prepares her granddaughter for the new school term.

“I am happy for this opportunity because God spare my life. I was sick and I thank God for the opportunity today that I can stand up for my granddaughter, it will be such a benefit to me so I can help prepare her for school,” she said.

In her address to the parents Minister Parag underscored the importance of education to developing the local village economy and by extension the country. To this end, she said the PPP/C Government has been injecting billions of dollars into the education sector since it assumed office in August 2020.

The intention, she said is not only to enhance the infrastructure, but to implement measures to ensure families can provide for their children to attend school. The ‘Because We Care’ cash grant programme, she said, is one of those initiatives.

“Take this cash grant and invest it in your child. This is not a one-off cash grant. Over the next five years it will increase and you will be able to get $50,000 per child”.

Minister Parag noted that the programme is non-discriminatory, as it will reach every child in the public school system regardless of location or background.  The ‘Because We Care’ will benefit a total of 172,000 students at a cost of $3.2 billion.