THE recently launched Comprehensive Council Social Welfare Operational Planning and Reporting Guideline (CCSWOPG) is expected to improve social welfare in the country.
The document provides guidance and framework for the integrated efforts of the government, development partners, and other social welfare stakeholders towards the realization of the social welfare priority areas.
Launched by Minister in the President’s Office (without portfolio) Captain (rtd) George Mkuchika, the guideline stresses participatory and effective use of social welfare data generated in the council to develop an evidence-based comprehensive social welfare plan.
Speaking while officiating the launching, Capt. Mkuchika noted that with the CCSWOP, the government has introduced the social welfare matrix in its planning and reporting System (PlanRep).
He said the move was in line with the government’s efforts to achieve the broader goals of accountability, transparency, efficiency and equity.
“The Social Welfare Matrix is now available in the PlanRep system to guide the planning, monitoring, and reporting of all targets and indicators from lower local government levels by including facility-level data,” he said.
The United States has supported the development and operationalization of the CSSWOPG through its two activities, namely the Community and Health System Strengthening Programme (2015-2020) implemented by Jon Snow Inc. (JSI) and ACHIEVE (2020-2024) implemented by Pact Tanzania.
USAID Tanzania’s Mission Director Kate Somvongsiri said, “We, two governments’ commitment to building solid and sustainable mechanisms for improving the quality of life.”
She noted it especially among the marginalized populations and most notably, the most vulnerable children and their households.
Ms Somvongsiri added that the CCSWOP would bring efficient, far-reaching, extensive, and well-coordinated social welfare services that befit the needs of the most vulnerable populations.
Furthermore, it will provide unified ways of addressing public health challenges like HIV/AIDS.
She called upon the government and its actors to put the commitments to improving the social welfare services into action.
The director argued that a robust social welfare system was the best gift to the current generation and those yet to come.
The promises embedded in the CCSWOP, she said, give a vision of Tanzania as a country with sustainable and plausible standards of social welfare services in Africa and beyond.
Through the USAID-funded ACHIEVE project, Pact Tanzania has been working with key ministries, including the President’s Office – Regional Administration and Local Government and the Ministry of Community Development, Gender, Women, and Special Groups, to finalize and operationalize the CCSWOP.
The activities included the development of manuals and guidelines, training key personnel, procuring working tools, and integrating the CCSWOP window into the PlanRep.
“From October 2020, we have spent a total of 920m/- to support the finalization and operationalizing of the CCSWOP” said Levina Kikoyo, the Country Director for Pact Tanzania and Project Director for ACHIEVE Tanzania.
She noted that the CCSWOP had shown a great leap in allocating and incorporating development partners’ budgets for social welfare services.
