Children’s disability grant registration to begin on Wednesday

Following President, Dr Irfaan Ali’s recent announcement of the $100,000 one-off cash grant for children living with disabilities, the Ministry of Human Services and Social Security (MHSSS), through the National Commission on Disability (NCD), will begin registration for the grant on Wednesday at selected locations country-wide.

Registration for this grant will run until June 24, 2022, with offices open from 08:00hrs to 16:30hrs on weekdays and 09:00hrs to 14:00hrs on Saturdays.

Parents or guardians will be required to provide a form of photo identification along with a form of identification for the child. Birth certificates will be accepted in the absence of photo identification of the child.

A detailed medical report of the child from a private or public doctor will also be needed. However, if a medical doctor has not yet assessed the person, the registration sites will have doctors on-site to evaluate the child.

For shut-in cases, the parent or guardian will need to visit the health facility where they will fill out the form and will be provided with the necessary verification methods.

Minister of Human Services and Social Security, Dr. Vindhya Persaud was eager to get the process underway and highlighted that this exercise is geared at capturing every single child living with disabilities.

“I want this process to be seamless and to ensure that every child living with disability benefits. I urge parents and guardians to be proactive in going to the health centers if their child is not already registered with the NCD or on the Ministry’s Public Assistance database.

“The intention of having doctors on site is to ensure that there is nothing to prevent any child living with a disability from accessing the $100,000 cash grant. We are deeply committed to serving and supporting persons living with disabilities, including children. This is in addition to us proving free assistive aids, including wheelchairs, white canes, and hearing aid, and free technical vocational and ICT training…we will be reaching out across the country,” she said.

Minister Persaud reiterated that this is just another medium the Government of Guyana has implemented to better the lives of persons living with disabilities.

The ministry is already in the process of completing a training center for persons with disabilities and has already begun providing training for persons living with disabilities.

Minister Persaud detailed that every step of the way in getting persons with disabilities independent was catered for including the business incubator at the Guyana Women’s Leadership Institute where they can learn how to bring their ideas to reality.