President David Granger on Saturday announced that his administration will be increasing the annual subvention given to the Shaheed’s Boys and Girls Orphanages.
He made the announcement at the Orphanages’ Eid Fest which marked the ending of the holy month of Ramadan, a statement from the Ministry of the Presidency said on Saturday.
In his address, Granger applauded the efforts of the Board of the Guyana United Sadr Islamic Anjuman for their work at the two orphanages. The Head of State said he is aware of the challenges and his administration is prepared to “up the government subvention”, the release said.
Speaking of his experiences while travelling in Guyana, the President said he is often saddened by the sight of children going to and from school without shoes. He said that it is important for school-age children to have the basic necessities such as food, clothing, shelter and text books.
Granger said that Guyana has a high school dropout and this is an issue that needs to be addressed. He urged the Board of the Orphanages to use as a gauge of success the number of children who successfully finish school and are able to find jobs.
“Five hundred boys and girls drop out of secondary school many of them will end up illiterate and it is the duty of the state to make sure those children be valid citizens and have access to education food shelter and clothing,” he said.
To support the transition of children out of the orphanage, the Board has set up bank accounts for each child. Once they age out of the facility, they are given that sum of money in addition to another $50,000.
