The distribution of the ‘Because We Care’ cash grants to public and private school students will commence on Monday, June 24 across the ten administrative regions of Guyana.
This announcement was made on Wednesday by Education Minister, Priya Manickchand who explained that distribution of the $45,000 grants will be done in two phases.
Parents and guardians are asked to walk with their identification cards in order to facilitate a smooth process.
“This is a grant for public and private school children who are in school. The eligibility criteria is that you have to be on the register, you have to have been attending school, and you have to have returned your textbooks to be able to access the grant…This is going to happen all across Guyana over a two-week period for collection and distribution,” Minister Manickchand said.
This year, the ‘Because We Care’ cash grant has been increased to $40,000, coupled with the $5,000 uniform allowance; it will benefit 205,000 children countrywide.
In 2021, the Government reintroduced the cash grant distribution for school-aged children, as per its manifesto promise.
The distributions at that time saw each child benefitting from $19,000— $15,000 from the “Because We Care” grant and $4000 from their uniform vouchers.
In 2022, the Government increased the “Because We Care” cash grant amount from $15,000 to $25,000, and the uniform voucher from $4000 to $5000. This meant that each child went from receiving $19,000, to $30,000. It was also opened to all private school students as well.
In 2023, cash grants saw children registered in nursery, primary, and secondary public and private schools receiving a $35,000 grant, together with $5000 for school uniforms and other supplies.
