TASAF dishes out 187bn/- to poor households

MAUREEN ODUNGA

 

The Executive Director of TASAF, Mr Ladislaus Mwamanga,

THE Tanzania Social Action Fund (TASAF) Phase Three has dished out 187bn/- to households living in abject poverty, to enable them engage in income generating activities at regional level.

The Executive Director of TASAF, Mr Ladislaus Mwamanga, said that another 165bn/- has been distributed directly to 1.1 million poor households for the same purpose.

Mr Mwamanga revealed this in Dar es Salaam while officiating during a five-day training programme implemented through TASAF III to enable poor households engage in income generating activities.

“The government and other donor organizations including the World Bank, The Department for International Development (DFID), Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (SIDA), United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and others have committed themselves in implementing the programme,” said Mr Mwamanga.

Beneficiaries’ participation and well focused strategic plans are vital in ensuring that the programme is being implemented.

“Innovative strategies that will involve awareness creation and building the capacity for the beneficiaries and stakeholders will enable smooth implementation of the programme because every person will be doing what they like and therefore demand would be created in the process,” he noted.

The Director of Community Programmes, Mr Amadeus Kamagenge, pointed out that notable achievements have been done through the established programmes over the years.

“Nutrition issues have been improved year to year by 49.7 per cent of stunted children in 1991 to 34.7 per cent in 2014 as according to survey conducted by the Tanzania Food and Nutrition Centre,” affirmed Mr Kamagenge.

He pointed out that an assessment done by TASAF has revealed that since the programme took off significant achievements have been shown by poor households by keeping their own savings, starting their own businesses and even owning land.