Abstract:
This study attempted to find out the governments initiatives in addressing the needs of poor women (vegetable vendors) and assessed the working environment for them. It examined the women vegetable vendors' activities and their hazardous working places in urban areas. Various related literature were viewed such as Tanzanian Policies on women to improve their lives, the Poverty Reduction Strategies, National Strategy for Growth and Reduction of Poverty (MKUKUTA), Poverty and Business Formalization Programme (MKURABITA) and experiences from other countries were reviewed. The study was qualitative in nature. It was conducted Ilala District and Tabata settlement in particular whereby six trading areas were surveyed. Thirty women vendors were sampled from the area of study to represent the population because qualitative research is to obtain rich information even from few respondents. Four methods of data collection were applied and these were documentary review, observation, interview and consultations. The data were processed by firstly, presenting the raw data categorizing into groups, reassessing, interpreting, discussing them critically and eventually organizing them for report writing.
Generally, it was found that the vegetables vendors were conducting their business under very difficult environment, unauthorized areas, unlicensed business and every area was multi purposely used such as taking care of children as well as preparing home activities. But the women vegetable vendors showed uniqueness in their struggle for life because they showed that they were more patient in entrepreneurship. The findings revealed that women are better in risk taking. Hence, better in the struggle for life than men especially the widowed women. Therefore, the study concluded that vegetable vendors were working under un conducive environment due to failure of government to formalize women business by giving them a business license, low education and lack of business skills among vegetable vendors.
The study therefore recommends the local government to intervene in the cases of women vegetable vendors and formalize their business, the government to provide education and business skills for women and women themselves to increase the struggle in enforcing the stakeholders to improve the women's condition of lives.
