The Government of the United Republic of Tanzania is implementing the Community - Based Conditional Cash Transfer (CB-CCT) Pilot Programme through TASAF with a view to testing whether and how a CCT program could be implemented through a social fund using a community-driven development (CDD) approach.  The Programme provides cash transfers to poor and vulnerable households who are subject to comply with conditions that promote the development of the human capital of their members. The Programme will to enhance livelihoods and reduce risk of poor and vulnerable households and  reduce poverty among groups who are extremely poor and vulnerable: children, the chronically ill, those with disabilities, and the older people, increase investment in health and education in order to improve health outcomes and educational attainment of the poor so as to increase economic growth and reduce poverty as well prevent poor households from falling further into poverty in the event of an adverse shock. 

The last 14 months (October 2008-December 2009) have been quite eventful as the Programme carried out necessary activities which included developing management information system (MIS) preparation of promotional and sensitization materials for leaders, communities and the general public, training manuals for facilitators, Village Councils and Community Management Committees for all three pilot districts.  Effort was also made to identify (target) eligible beneficiaries, namely most vulnerable children and older people who will be supported and facilitated to increase attendance in primary schools (children aged 5 to 18) and health visits (children under 5 and elderly persons, aged 60 years and above). The official launch was held at Kibaha on 29^th September 2009. 

Notable is the fact that extremely poor households with vulnerable children and elderly have been targeted for the purpose of identifying, selecting and prioritizing them using the community’s criteria of identifying the poor. The Programme also has managed to ensure that targeted beneficiaries have qualified during validation of the list of eligible households by the Village Assembly.

Following completion of all initial activities, namely sensitization, baseline data collection, targeting, supply side capacity assessment, enrolment and training on payment including opening of bank accounts by Community Management Committees (CMCs), on December 30, 2009, TASAF disbursed the first transfer amounting to a total of TZS 63,555,000 for 6,546 beneficiaries of the CB-CCT Pilot Programme in 2,060 households in 40 villages in three districts councils of Bagamoyo, Chamwino and Dodoma. The amount of disbursed funds varies from each district council depending on the number of participating villages and beneficiaries in the programme. While Bagamoyo gets TZS 33,420,000 for 3,434 beneficiaries in 17 villages, Chamwino gets TZS 17,775,000 for 1,883 beneficiaries in 11 villages and Kibaha receives TZS 12,360,000 for 1,229 beneficiaries in 12 villages.  

It is quite clear that the introduction of CB-CCT Programme represents a new and potentially valuable financing mechanism to tackle poverty by addressing education and health issues. The Programme is expected to be particularly successful at decreasing demand - side barriers to access education and health services by poor communities, and induce them to increase the use of these services.  It is also expected that transfer will make positive impact by initiating behavioral changes among beneficiaries.

The Programme is jointly funded by the Government of the United Republic of Tanzania and the Government of Japan through the Japan Social Development Fund (JSDF). The World Bank is the grant fund administrator and provides technical support to facilitate smooth implementation.  Other financiers are invited to join this noble initiative touching the lives of the poor and vulnerable.