Brighter Christmas for persons living with disability

President Dr Mohamed Irfaan Ali on Wednesday announced that every person living with a disability in Guyana will receive a $50,000 one-off grant before the end of December, a move expected to deliver $1.4 billion in direct support to more than 27,000 people.

Ali made the announcement during a national observance of International Day of Persons with Disabilities at the Railway Courtyard in Georgetown. The event was organised by the Office of the President in collaboration with the Office of the First Lady and focused on dignity, inclusion and shared social responsibility.

In his address, Ali said disabilities — whether congenital, acquired, temporary or lifelong — are part of the human experience and present “not a deficit, but another dimension of human knowledge.”

He urged Guyanese, as a people grounded in faith, empathy and community, to “bear one another’s burdens”, adding that true national development is reflected in how well the society supports those most in need.

“Regardless of where you sit, in public or private life, we must make it a collective responsibility to uplift those who are mourning, struggling or underserved,” the President said.