Africa-Press – Tanzania. AT least 300,000 vulnerable families will breathe a sigh of relief after the Tanzania Social Action Fund (TASAF) and United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) signed a memorandum of understanding to strengthen food security for the needy households.
Under the agreement, the WFP will provide 725,000 US dollars, an equivalent to 1.6bn/-, to the TASAF to conduct different activities for strengthening food security and encourage community participation in designing their own programmes.
TASAF Executive Director Mr Ladislaus Mwamanga and the WFP Country Director and Representative Sarah Gordon- Gibson signed the agreement in Dar es Salaam.
It was noted that the amount offered is also intended to support the families initiating income generating activities that will see them sustain living during the dry season when food goes out of stock.
“We greatly appreciate this support from WFP which is timely as we expand the coverage of our public works programme,” said Mr Mwamanga.
“This indeed has come at the right time when community participation in project planning is enhanced,” he added.
He said through the WFP support, the Tasaf looks forward to rolling out the digital platform to capture data of payments to beneficiaries, noting that the system has been well developed.
Ms Gordon-Gibson noted that it was important for them to issue the support to TASAF because social protection programmes were crucial for vulnerable communities to get access to basic needs such as food and essential services.
“Social protection programmes are critical as they provide a safety net ensuring that vulnerable communities have access to basic needs such as food and essential services Looking to reduce poverty in the country, the Tanzanian government has put in place a number of policies and strategies, including the National Strategy for Growth and Poverty Reduction, which was finalized in 2000.
The Strategy has enabled the government to make many achievements, including increasing the coverage of education and health services, investing in infrastructure and supporting agricultural development.
