It
would be difficult to exaggerate the importance of funerals in South African
life.
Death is
perceived as the beginning of a person's deeper relationship with all of
creation, the complementing of life and the beginning of the communication
between the visible and the invisible worlds.
The goal
of life is to become an ancestor after death. This is why every person who dies
must be given a "correct" funeral, supported by a number of religious
ceremonies. If this is not done, the dead person may become a wandering ghost,
unable to "live" properly after death and therefore a danger to those
who remain alive.
Funerals also strengthen ties between neighbors and extended family, who may travel long
distances to attend the funeral. More than any other single rite of passage funerals
provide a focal point for family and community life.
For
these reasons, funerals are elaborate, and expensive. In addition to expenses
for a coffin, traditional burial blankets, and (often) a tent for the funeral,
immediate family must pay to entertain mourners.
After
a death, extended household members may arrive for a lengthy visit. It is
expected that the immediate family of the deceased will feed mourners who have
come for the funeral, for as long as they choose to stay. In
addition, animals are slaughtered to honor the dead.
Keeping up with tradition is a real challenge: On
average, the cost of a funeral reaches 40 % of an annual salary.
Key
facts:
- Average
annual salary for a black person leaving in the township: 7200 rand ($720)
- Average
annual salary for a black person: 12080 rand ($1208)
- Cost
of a cow (generally offered when a man dies): 2200 rand ($220)
Funeral
expenses leave surviving family members vulnerable to future hardship, with
spending on items such as food and clothes significantly lower following the
funeral. Children in households that experienced a death are also less likely
to be enrolled in school, while adults are much more likely to report problems
such as symptoms of depression and periods of anxiety.
Jeanette lost her daughter last february. She is still struggling between her emotion caused by the lost of her daughter, the paying of her debt and keeping the daycare running. Sometimes, she can't even pay for the transport to her younger daughter to go to school.
Instead of being a victim of this situation, she creates a funeral fund for the women of Ivory Park! She doesn't want other women to have the same experience so she built up a project to guaranty "a pot of money" and support from the funeral found group.
Support Jeanette's project:
http://ebuhlenidaycare.causevox.com
