Funerals are never easy for families mourning their loss. They can also be a moment of financial strain and stress.
Funerals in Zimbabwe demand a large and expensive send-off with food and music, and loved ones can slide into debt to avoid any public shame.
"A funeral is quite an intense and emotional thing," says Dr Jacob Mokhutso, Senior lecturer of Theology and Religion at the University of Pretoria in South Africa. "You are burying your loved one here, somebody you’ll never see again. Somebody who has contributed perhaps quite positively in one’s life, so you would want to do whatever it takes to ensure that they’re buried in a dignified manner.”
Some people are now turning to burial societies to help relieve the strain.
Melisa Kasu says her mother died when the family was least prepared.
