Africa-Press – Tanzania. A total of 196,372 people with disabilities (PWDs) from poor households across the country will soon benefit from the special cash grants dished out by the Tanzania Social Action Funds (TASAF) poverty alleviation scheme.
State House Permanent Secretary, Dr Moses Kusiluka spoke about the scheme during a capacity building session held recently in Dar es Salaam for officials who will take part in identifying the target groups.
Dr Kusiluka said recognising the importance and needs of the special group, the government introduced the package to support PWDs living in abject poverty.
“The special programme aims to reach thousands of people with disabilities countrywide for them to be able to meet their needs.
“The scheme is part of the government strategy to implement various international treaties and plans with a goal of promoting equity in the society,” said Dr Kusiluka.
The PS revealed that the initiative also supports the government’s broader agenda of eradicating poverty in the country.
He urged the officials who will be carrying out the identification exercise to observe fairness and eligibility at all times when performing the duty.
“The government will not tolerate any official who will go against the agreed conditions during registration of the PWDS because the project now focuses on two groups of persons with disabilities and those with profound and severe disability,” he said.
TASAF Acting Executive Director, Mr Godwin Mkisi, said the move comes following formation of new guidelines by the government to facilitate the process.
Mr Mkisi revealed that the special programme is going to start by reaching 196,372 people with disabilities from poor households who are beneficiaries of the TASAF cash grants.
“Out of the four types of disabilities: the profound, severe, moderate and mild disability, the programme will first focus on the first two which are profound and severe disabilities,” he explained.
According to the ED, the two groups will be incorporated in the TASAF beneficiaries’ database, noting that aside from the basic conditional cash transfer the poor households were previously receiving, they will now get additional support.
Mr Mkisi also disclosed that the identification exercise is expected to be completed by end of next month, paving the way for grant issuance process with effect from October.
On his part, the Chairman of the Tanzania Federation of Disabled People’s Organizations (SHIVYAWATA), Mr Ernest Kimaya, extended gratitude to the government for recognising the importance of supporting the group, citing that the move will give a huge relief to the group whom most of them are unable to engage in economic activities due to their disability.
“The government’s decision to incorporate PWDs to the TASAF programme is a great step which should be commended by all. We really appreciate this,” he said.
The Secretary of the Zanzibar Federation of Disabled People’s Organizations (SHIJUWAZA), Ussi Khamis, has hailed the implementation of the project, calling on the government to ensure that it reaches all PWDs in the coming years.
