1.5 Million Tanzanians Set for Social Protection
The Tanzania Social Action Fund (TASAF) Productive Social Safety Net (PSSN) programme enables households to graduate out of both food and basic-needs poverty.
The program provides cash transfers to poor and vulnerable households with the condition that the transfers are used on health and education services along with opportunities to earn additional income through public works and livelihoods.
PSSN aims at enabling the 1.1million poor households living under the poverty line in 161 Project Area Authorities to increase incomes and opportunities while improving consumption.
Recently, a joint field visit to PSSN projects in Simiyu was conducted by, TASAF, the International Development Acssociation (IDA), the European Union, the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (Sida), the Department for International Development (DfID) and local government authorities and UN agencies. (UN Agencies involved int he programme are UNDP, UNICEF, ILO and UNFPA).
Key components of TASAF PSSN for Simiyu Region, Itilima District:
- Conditional Cash Transfer (CCT)
- Public Works Program (PWP)
- Community Savings
- Livelihoods Enhancement and Targeted Infrastructure
In Simiyu, beneficiaries have received a total of Sh17.3 billion
The program has stimulated activities that create income like agriculture and livestock-keeping.
Snapshot of PSSN's impact in Simiyu
- 329 villages have received support
- 37,880 households have benefitted from Conditional Cash Transfers
- 5,118 households have benefitted from the Public Works Programme
- 197 hand-dug wells in 55 villages are currently being built
- 50,661 children from enrolled poor households are benefitting from PSSN through health and education services
