THE International Labour Organisation (ILO) has embarked on a programme geared towards capacity building for experts who will share the knowledge with people living in abject poverty.

The Project Manager from ILO, Mr Dampu Nicholas, said here recently that the programme would enable poor households to engage in income generating activities.

The group, he explained, would engage in various activities, including handworks.

He was speaking during a training workshop which brought together various experts from Tanzania Social Action Fund (TASAF), Tanzania Rural and Urban Road Agency (TARURA) and Contractors Registration Board (CRB).

Mr Nicholas said the workshop's goal was to conduct evaluation on voluntary workforce in social projects. He explained that the voluntary workforce could be changed into business to enable poor households generate income.

He explained that the programme also encouraged people who have provided their workforce in social projects to safeguard infrastructure after the project's completion.

The Chamwino District Manager for Tarura, Engineer Nelson Maganga, said Tarura in Chamwino was determined to protect infrastructure resulting from voluntary workforce.

He said the social projects had created employment opportunities to people living in abject poverty, citing an example of the projects carried out by Tasaf programmes.

"Previously, people abandoned infrastructure after the completion of the social project. But all the roads are protected by the people themselves," he said.

On his part, Yunis Maonyesho, a senior official from CRB, said plans were underway to register to CRB all groups engaged in construction projects.

He said experts who have received training from ILO should help community members to form groups that would provide workforce for social projects.