‘Because We Care’ grants important to Amerindians – Min. Sukhai

Minister of Amerindian Affairs, Hon. Pauline Sukhai says Amerindians living in the hinterland will benefit significantly from the ‘Because We Care’ and the school uniform and supplies cash grants.

Minister Sukhai has said the $19,000 which will be given to each public-school child is much-needed due to the lack of wealth creating opportunities in most parts of the hinterland.

“It is critical, it is important, it is relevant because we still have the challenge of job opportunities for adults and young people in Amerindian villages. Some of them are not cash-based totally, they depend on subsistence farming, but their expenses to send children to school mirrors that of those students on the coast.

In the hinterland we still have the challenge, where if you want to establish a business, the population might be too small, it may not survive. Every person having a business will not be feasible…So, allocating monies to Amerindian students will and is relevant in the context of where their economic status is situated.”

Public school students- from nursery to CAPE students- are entitled to the $15,000 ‘Because We Care’ cash grant, as well as the $4,000 uniform and supplies cash grant.

“What the parents will have to do is just to receive the grant and spend it in the best interest of their children, buying the necessary supplies that the children will need… maybe not school supplies but other expenses associated with sending your children to school,” the Minister said.

Government has set aside $3.2 billion for the distribution of the grants which will begin this week.

This is the fulfillment of yet another manifesto promise by the PPP/C Government. The former APNU+AFC administration discontinued the ‘Because We Care’ programme, deeming it unsustainable.

However, during the hustings, the PPP/C promised to restore the grant and increase it incrementally until it reaches $50,000 per public school child. Also, the school uniform and supplies cash grant has been doubled to $4,000.

Parents or guardians are asked to walk with a valid form of identification to uplift the cash grant. Those without can still collect the money, but must be identified by the school’s headteacher or a senior official in the community.

The distribution schedule will be posted on the Ministry of Education’s Facebook page, the ministry’s website, and in the daily newspapers. Parents or guardians are encouraged to visit the respective schools on the scheduled date to uplift the grants.