AfricaPress-Tanzania: TANZANIA Social Action Fund (TASAF), has from yesterday embarked on verification of its programmes’ beneficiaries, with Executive Director Mr Ladislaus Mwananga insisting that all verified households in this thirdterm of the second (TASAF) phase must be reached by the middle of August this year.
“It is because general election programmes, especially the campaigns, are set to commence from the end of August, hence, we must have finished payments to all beneficiary households,” he said when giving opening remarks during the capacity building training for the verification team members in Dar es Salaam.
The Director revealed further that verification will be simultaneously conducted with payments to beneficiaries, which (payments) are to be electronically processed.
If there is not enough time for the addition of new beneficiaries, then the exercise will take place after general election activities, said the TASAF boss through the video conference he participated in from Dodoma.
TASAF Training and Participation Specialist, Ms Mercy Mandawa said that Coast Region, Dar es Salaam, Tanga, Unguja and Pemba are the first areas to be reached and the exercises (in those areas) will be over by 21 June.
Verification team members are to observe among others, beneficiaries who either passed away or relocated to new residences as well as those whose lives have already been improved and therefore should graduate from TASAF programmes.
She clarified that in case one has relocated to where TASAF programmes, especially Productive Social Safety Net (PSSN), programme, are not practiced then he/she will no longer be a beneficiary.
If they (programmes) are implemented, then a beneficiary will continue to benefit despite being a guest in such a particular area, she clarified, adding that: “We are certain that the exercises will be effectively conducted and all beneficiaries country-wide will be reached before the commencement of election activities as our Executive Director has just said. We have modern devices to support these exercises and let all things done within the given time-frame.”
TASAF Programme Director, Mr Amadeus Kamagenge commented that beneficiaries will have to receive their payments in line with their status, explaining that: “Healthy young adults must engage in various development activities so as to qualify to be the beneficiaries.”
Still, the young adults will be encouraged to engage in various income-generating activities so as to expand the scope of improving their livelihoods, said the Programme Director, explaining further that: “Elders, children and disabled people will have to receive the payments without any conditions.”
He said that how much to be paid to all beneficiaries country-wide will be determined after verification exercise, adding that: “But all TASAF programmes in this third term will cost over 2tr/-with a total of 1.4 million households set to benefit in 159 Councils of Tanzania Mainland and Zanzibar.”
