Registration for the Child Grant Programme has commenced in the North East district with more than 186 children already recorded in two weeks.
North East District Council (NEDC)’s deputy Council Secretary – Operations, Mr Uyapo Mafunye said in an interview that the plan was to speed up the registration process and ensure that registration was completed by end of March in order to allow the programme to commence in April as intended.
Prior to the take-off of registration, Mr Mafunye said the district council had undertaken consultations with the leadership of villages across the district with the view to help raise understanding and appreciation of the programme.
Information about roll-out of the programme was disseminated through online platforms, announced during kgotla meetings and at clinics during morning health talks, he explained.
Mr Mafunye said the Social and Community Development (S&CD) offices in villages in the district were serving as registration points and added that so far registration was progressing well.
Regarding requirements that needed to be met for registering a child, he said the child must be under 12 months of age at the time of registration and be a Motswana.
Further, he said a child’s primary caregiver should have stayed in the district for more than six months, a requirement that he explained was intended to avert people registering in more than one district.
He said the other requirements included availing a child’s birth certificate as well as the caregiver providing proof that the child was legally under their care.
Mr Mafunye said in cases where one of the parents was a foreigner, the child would still be eligible to benefit from the programme.
On the possibility of the child grant being used for unintended purposes, he noted that it would be necessary to conduct periodic checks to certify that money was being used for the benefit of the children.
“Social workers and other leaders will monitor the condition of children both at home and during monthly clinic visits,” he said, adding that anyone not using the money properly would be liable to legal action under the Children’s Act.
On the other hand, he said the district would intensify public education and empower especially the girl child empowerment on the dangers of engaging in sexual activities at a tender age, particularly because of the possibility of teenage pregnancies rising due to young girls wanting to benefit from the programme.
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