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Former bus touts establish brickmaking project in Dar
2007-11-20 09:37:30
By Beatrice Philemon
Some 100 commuter bus touts at Vingunguti area in Dar es Salaam, who had been rendered jobless after city fathers removed them from bus stops and stands, have established a bricks making project.
The project was set up recently with support from a concerned legislator, Janeth Masaburi, who donated gravel and a brick making machine for the project.
Handing over the donation, the MP said the donation was geared at opening up more employment landscapes for Tanzanian youths who for years had been loitering.
``This project is just a pilot one and that another consignment of four tones would follow soon to keep them busy and stop using drugs,`` she said, stressing on the urgent need to support the youth.
``I believe empowering youths with resources, we will reduce poverty in the country as they will be able to deliver resources and hence improve their working environment,`` she said.
She added: ``They can easily establish and successfully run their own projects although lack of collateral prevents many youths and other people from starting up their own projects.``
Masaburi added that she opted to support the youth group to reduce the number of drug addicts and trafficking in the country.
``The success story of this Vingunguti youth group will be sparked in other parts of the country. Our target is to support them and make them productive,`` she said.
According to the MP, education in such area will be provided and such education will enable them to operate their project more effectively.
She urged other well-wishers to compliment the initiated effort to rescue the situation which has been described as a ticking bomb.
The Vingunguti Youth against Drugs Chairman, Jacob Charles Kakwele, promised to work hard to make the project viable to them.
He appealed for more support from different organizations in various ways to enable them to set up other project and assists other youths to acquire employment.
The beneficiaries of the project are youths under the Vingunguti Youth Against Drugs who formerly were drug addicts and touts. The group comprises 20 girls and 80 boys.
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