As the world commemorates the International Day of Persons with Disabilities today, Tanzania Social Action Fund (TASAF) is celebrating the day by introducing a policy to financially empower people living with disabilities for them to create income generating activities.

This empowerment is in form of disbursement of seed capital through monthly grants, sensitization on establishment of income generating activities and equipment to run economic activities that are given to disabled people who are part of families benefiting from the program targeting poor households.

Meleckzedeck Nduya, TASAF Communications Officer said yesterday in Dar es Salaam at a special visit to one of the beneficiaries with disability that in celebrating the International Day of Persons with Disabilities, TASAF is proud to empower the disabled, especially those who come from households that benefit from the programme.

"Disabled people need to be empowered not only with the aim of enabling them to afford their daily lives but to make them part of the contribution to economic growth;

An inclusive economy requires the participation of all groups in society. TASAF enables disabled people in households to benefit from the poverty alleviation program," he said

He said that it is TASAF's responsibility to empower all disabled people from beneficiary households.  

Nuru Ali (48), a resident of Kigogo Mbuyuni in Kinondo district Dar es Salaam, a visually-impaired on one eye and TASAF beneficiary who has graduated from receiving grants said that she has benefited from TASAF through monthly grants that have made her start an income generating activity.

Being a beneficiary of the Fund since 2014, Nuru, a mother of five children, has succeeded in starting an entrepreneurial business making liquid soaps, handbags and food ingredients. She also manufactures toilet cleaners.

"I have managed to grow my capital from 40,000/- in 2014 to more than 250,000/- while realizing other benefits that help me serve my family in collaboration with my husband," she said.

According to her, being one of the beneficiaries of TASAF has helped her to gain knowledge of running income generating activities.

She says that TASAF has contributed to changing her life and that of her family compared to before he became a beneficiary.

"The challenge is to find opportunities to market my products. I am asking if there is a possibility for me to be linked with the markets because right now I rely on walking my products here on the street;

Packaging is also a challenge where I would be empowered to sell my products even to supermarket owners," she said.

She asked to be linked with the Small Industries Development Organization (SIDO) to get more entrepreneurship training and add value to the products she produces.

"Although I have graduated this year, I would like to continue benefiting from this program because I feel like I have not yet been able to live my life outside of TASAF's facilitation," said Nuru.

She asserted that the lack of a reliable market makes her stay with the product for a long time which can reach up to three months.

She said that all his children have successfully completed primary school education and are looking for a life by engaging in industrial work.

She asserted that the disability of one eye makes the whole eye try to see where there are times when she sees darkness.

"There are times when I see darkness and have to stop as if I were wandering somewhere else. There are times when you can touch or hit someone for not seeing properly," said Nuru.