The Tanzania Social Action Fund (TASAF) has achieved substantial progress in reducing extreme poverty among low-income households during the past three years, under the leadership of President Samia Suluhu Hassan’s sixth administration.
Many recipients of the program have successfully ventured into income-generating activities, significantly improving their livelihoods.
In June 1999, Tanzania’s government introduced the National Development Vision 2025, which seeks to lift at least half of the population living in poverty to middle-income status by 2025.
Among the strategies implemented to reach this goal is TASAF, launched in 2000.
With just 15 months remaining until the Vision 2025 deadline, the government has helped thousands of Tanzanians break free from extreme poverty.
On this International Day for the Eradication of Poverty, themed “Ending Social and Institutional Maltreatment: Acting Together for Just, Peaceful, and Inclusive Societies,” TASAF celebrates its achievement of supporting over 400,000 beneficiaries.
One notable success story is Mwajuma Rajab, 54, who graduated from the TASAF program earlier this year.
After struggling with extreme poverty for years, Mwajuma and her husband, Evarist Paul, secured a plot in Changanyikeni, where her initial TASAF grant of 60,000 TZS (around $24) allowed her to cultivate sesame and begin a successful agricultural venture.
Over time, she built a seven-bedroom house, established a chicken farm, and now earns significant income from renting rooms to university students.
Mwajuma’s story is just one example of how TASAF’s ongoing phase, known as TASAF-3 PSSN-II, which began in February 2020, has positively impacted thousands of families.
Under President Samia’s leadership since March 2021, TASAF has reached 877,352 households, benefiting over 3.3 million people.
TASAF’s earlier phases (2000-2012) focused on essential infrastructure, such as education and healthcare, while the PSSN-I phase (2012-2019) introduced new programs like Livelihoods and Productive Grants (LPG) and Public Works Projects (PWP).
Since 2014, TASAF has provided LPG grants to low-income families.
By March 2021, a total of 877,352 households had received grants, totaling 172.14bn TZS ($68.85m).
President Samia has prioritized improving the economic welfare of Tanzanians, allocating 883.3bn TZS ($353.32m) to TASAF activities.
As a result, from September 2021 to September 2024, TASAF has supported 1,371,038 households, benefiting over 5.2 million individuals.
Mziray, TASAF Executive Director, credits President Samia’s dedication for the success of the program, highlighting that the sixth-phase government has helped more households graduate from poverty than ever before.
Since 2021, 400,000 families have graduated from the program, a 29% increase compared to earlier phases.
TASAF’s impact goes beyond financial support. It has also fostered community development through the formation of 60,327 savings groups, comprised of 838,241 members.
These groups have saved a total of 7.9bn TZS ($3.16m), with 3.2bn TZS ($1.28m) being issued as loans to support various income-generating activities.
By June 2024, TASAF aims to support over 5.1 million direct beneficiaries, with 55.7% of them being women.
One beneficiary, Shufaa Mfinanga, used her grant to start a restaurant business, which has now grown into a soft drinks shop with capital totaling one million TZS ($400).
Another beneficiary, Hamad Masumbuko, who lives with a disability, started a gas cylinder retail business with the support of TASAF.
He has increased his inventory from 8 to 20 cylinders and earns an average monthly profit of 58,000 TZS ($23).
Through its continuous efforts, TASAF has proven to be a powerful tool in Tanzania’s fight against poverty, transforming the lives of thousands of vulnerable families and contributing to the nation’s development goals.