Strategic Caring in the Begging Style Involving Children as Guides in Tanzania and Use of ICT: Asset on Basic Education Access

Abstract

This paper explores the strategic caring as a coping mechanism in the unique begging style involving children as guides in Dodoma Municipality, Tanzania and use of Information and Communication Technology. The rationale for the study location is that the begging phenomenon using children as guides is more pronounced. A total of 23 respondents including 10 young carers of visually impaired adult beggars, 10 visually impaired adult beggars, 1 District Education Officer and 2 Social Welfare Officers were purposefully sampled. Data were collected through interviews and observations. Artifacts were employed to aid depicting issued under study more vividly. The findings showed that guiding over the weekends, part time guidance, help up to the begging point, saving what was gained through begging and use of a stick constituted strategic caring. Moreover, it was revealed that the strategic caring mechanism employed and use of ICT enabled young carers of visually impaired adult beggars to fulfill their guidance role at the same time attend to school. The paper concludes that strategic caring in the guidance role is enhanced by a partnership between young carers of visually impaired adult beggars and the visually impaired adult beggars they guided. Unless the government and other stakeholders sets aside sufficient resources to educate the entire community on supporting and making people with visual impairment independent, limited access to basic education among young carers of visually impaired adult beggars will be hard to combat and effective participation in learning will rather be a dream in Dodoma Municipality.