AfricaPress-Tanzania: TANZANIA Social Action Fund (Tasaf), through its programme to help poor households has disbursed out more than 14bn/- as grants to over 7,000 beneficiaries in Singida District Council between September 2014 and March this year.
That was said recently by Tasaf for Singida District Monitoring Officer, Ms Simith Haule during a visit to Mtinko and Ilongero villages to witness activities being implemented by various beneficiaries and challenges they face.
She said that the grants were used in the implementation of conditional cash transfer, public works programme, livelihood enhancement, targeted infrastructure development and economic empowerment to adolescent girls and young women.
One of the beneficiaries, Hawa Nkumbi (36), a resident of Mtinko village, who is a mother of five children, recounted how the programme has rescued her from abject poverty and loneliness after her husband abandoned her for, what was believed to be inability to fulfill his family responsibilities.
“On that fateful day, he told me ‘I’m going to leave you with your luggage’ (obviously meaning our children). Since then 2012, I have never seen him again. So, I kept worrying about my children as we remained living in a rented house” said Hawa, who looked hopeful for a new prosperous life.
She said two years later, Tasaf entered the village and fortunately she was enrolled as one of the beneficiaries in the programme.
“When I first started receiving the grants, I didn’t fumble. I sent my children to school, opened a poultry project and built a house for me and my children. I now have two houses, my first child is a Form Four leaver and four others are attending school”.
Amina Nyambi (26) a resident of Ilongero village said she thereafter has benefited greatly from Tasaf and now owns more than 40 chickens and capable of supporting herself without depending on her parents.
“I am contemplating on how to start a poultry farm so that I can do big business” she said as she thanked Tasaf for showing her the way.
Tasaf Coordinator for Singida District Council, Ms Piyazis Tindikali, said she had had a good time in her role after seeing beneficiaries of the programme kept on utilising their grants wisely to create also new projects for their livelihoods.
