Contribution Of Public Works Programme To Income-Poverty Reductionand Access To Basic Needs: A Case Of Kilosa District, Tanzania

ABSTRACT

Many measures have been taken globally, regional and at national levels to fight against poverty. An engagement of TASAF III to intervene poverty through Public Works Programme (PWP) is one among measures to reduce income poverty. Many studies on PWPs focused more on the assets created for the community than the well-being of poor household’s participated in the programme. As a result, there is little understanding on how PWPs have contributed to the reduction of income poverty among participants through wages paid to them. Specifically, the study aimed at comparing the monthly monetary income of PWP beneficiaries before and after PWP intervention, assessing beneficiaries’ households’ access to basic needs, determining attitudes of the community towards PWP interventions and identifying challenges facing PWPs. The study was conducted in Kilosa District in Morogoro Region. A total of 141 households were surveyed, five Focus Group Discussion (FGDs) were conducted and four Key informants were interviewed. A structured questionnaire, FGDs and Key Informants Interview guides were used to gather information regarding to PWPs. Statistical Packages for Social Science (SPSS) was used to analyse data whereby descriptive statistics in the form of frequencies, percentages and t-test were used in presentation of the study findings. The findings revealed that the number of households taking three meals per day rose from 0% to 63.6%. The findings also revealed that financial constraints in education decreased; as 94.4% of the respondents used wages for educational needs and 93% of the poor households’ beneficiaries could afford primary education. The study concluded that PWP had played important roles to contribute to the reduction of income poverty for poor households. Therefore, it was recommended that TASAF, Government and communities should continue to enhance PWP’s intervention by up scaling its scope in order to reach many poor households as possible.