TASAF Funding for CHF

1. TASAF Funding for CHF Amadeus M. Kamagenge Tanzania Social Action Fund Dar es Salaam

2. Scope • Introduction • Project Development Objective • Guiding Principles • National Village Fund • NVF target group • Procedure for accessing NVF resources • CHF activities funded through NVF • Eligibility criteria for community projects • Approval and disbursement arrangements • Allocation of NVF resources

3. Introduction • The Tanzania Social Action Fund (TASAF) is an instrument instituted by the Government to empower communities, facilitate their participation in planning and implementation of interventions that would improve their livelihood and make them benefit from macro level achievements. • The first phase of the project (TASAF-I) was implemented for four years from 2000. The coverage was 40 districts on the Mainland as well as Unguja and Pemba islands in Zanzibar. • The second phase of TASAF (TASAF-II) is a five year project implemented in all 121 LGAs in Tanzania Mainland, and Unguja and Pemba islands.

4. Introduction • The locus of the Project is at the lowest level of the LGA, that is, the Village in rural areas, the Mtaa in urban areas and the Shehia in Zanzibar. • All projects supported are implemented at the community level. • Special attention is given to vulnerable groups including: orphans, HIV/AIDS affected and infected, older people, widows, chronically ill persons.

5. Project Development Objective To empower communities to access opportunities so that they can request, implement and monitor sub projects that contribute to improved livelihoods linked to Millennium Development Goals (MDG) indicator targets in the National Strategy for Growth and Reduction of Poverty (MKUKUTA).

6. Guiding principles • Autonomous but operating in harmony with other ongoing initiatives within the LGRP, so as to ensure sustainability of achievements. • Demand-driven and follows a bottom up planning and decision-making approach. • Direct financing of community-initiated projects. • Acts as a safety net by targeting vulnerable households and poor communities; • Conform to sectoral norms and standards.

7. Guiding principles • Non-partisan and apolitical. • Modalities to access the Fund have to be clear. • Delivery structure ensures speedy operations. • Adequate and timely technical support. • Transparent and demonstrate full public accountability. • Processing and management are cost-effective. • Strengthen community empowerment.

8. National Village Fund The National Village Fund is the main instrument under TASAF II which responds to community requests for investments that assist specified beneficiary groups to take advantage of opportunities that can improve their livelihoods.

9. NVF Target Group • Vulnerable individuals, including orphans, HIV/AIDS affected/infected, the elderly persons, the chronically ill, people with disabilities, etc. • food insecure households having The able bodied adults. • Communities who lack access to basic social and market services.

10. Procedure for accessing NVF resources • Officers from LGA conduct awareness raising on TASAF activities in all communities • Any community interested to implement CHF project will fill in a Project Interest Form (SPIF) in three copies and submit to the Village Council/Mtaa Committee/Shehia Advisory Council/Mtaa Committeefor endorsement. • The SPIF is then sent the VFC’s office at LGA level and TMU, with one copy being retained at the offices of VEO/Sheha/Mtaa Chairperson, on behalf of the community.

11. Procedure for accessing NVF resources • The VFC sorts and compiles the forms by sector for presentation to the Management Team (MT). • The MT targets resources within an LGA. The MT is guided by poverty and service coverage indicators as well as community demands inline with their capacities. • Successful community is notified so as to plan for E-PRA, project designing and implementation planning.

12. CHF activities funded by NVF • CHF activities eligible for NVF funding are based on Service Guidelines on Community Participation (SGCP) prepared by the Ministry of Health in 2005. • In line with the MoH - SGCP, the NVF can finance the establishment of the Community Health Fund. • Maximum NVF funding to one CHF project at community level is equivalent to US$ 30,000.

13. Eligibility criteria for community projects Community projects that are eligible for NVF funding must meet the following criteria: • Must be a result of a verifiable and systematic E-PRA process. • Community owned with a mandatory minimum community contribution. • In line with approved sector norms and standards. • Approved at the desk and field appraisal stages of project cycle. • Conforms to the safeguard (environmental and resettlement) policies.

14. Approval and disbursement arrangements • All NVF-funded community projects are approved either at the community level by VC or at the LGA level by LGA Finance Committee depending on the size of the project • TASAF disburse funds directly to the Community Management Committee at the community levels to facilitate timely implementation of community projects

15. Allocation of NVF Resources • Total resources in the NVF is US$ 120 mil. • A resource allocation/targeting formula was developed following the Government of Tanzania guidelines for development funds. • NVF resources were allocated globally to the LGA/Islands on the basis of a formula that includes population (40%) poverty data (40%) and geographical size (20%). • An element of equity (25%) was applied prior to utilizing the allocation formula.

16. Allocation of NVF Resources • Distribution of resources allocation is made public through the press for each LGA and the Island to know what is available for them. • Quarterly TASAF makes press release to inform the public the amount of NVF resources that LGAs/Islands have been able to absorb.