Categories of street beggars and factors influencing street begging in central Tanzania

Abstract

This study examined categories of street beggars and factors influencing begging activities in Central Tanzania using Dodoma and Singida Municipalities as case studies. A cross-sectional research design was employed in this study. Structured questionnaires were administered to 130 street beggars, who were selected from various public spaces using a convenience sampling technique. Focus-group discussions, key-informant interviews, and observations were also used to collect primary data. The study found that street beggars fell into four categories namely beggars on the streets, beggars of the streets, beggars in the streets, and beggars of street families, based on where they slept after begging hours and contacts with their families. Furthermore, the phenomenon of street begging is an outcome of many factors, including poverty, unemployment, physical challenges, death of parents, and family disintegration. The study recommends that to address the phenomenon of street begging, policy planners and local government authorities must adopt multi-faceted, multi-target ed, and multi-tiered approaches in the form of preventative and responsive interventions.