Project USIZO: Management Report

This document summarizes the main findings of a focus group research on how lower-income households provide for their funerals, with particular focus on the current and potential abuse by various institutions. The document presents the perceptions of the individuals attending the focus groups.

The document outlines:

• The objectives of the research;
• Research methodology and samples.

It examines:

• Money and its focus on daily expenses, funeral policies and educational policies for children;
• Expectations with regard to funerals;
• Types of systems used to provide for funeral cover, namely:
  • Funeral parlours;
  • Burial societies;
  • Township/ block systems;
  • Insurance companies/banks.
• Their membership, advantages and disadvantages;
• The impact of HIV/AIDS;
• Demographic differences, such as:
  • Rural versus urban respondents;
  • Men versus women.

The paper concludes that:

• There is a strong focus on providing for death and ensuring that loved ones are buried with dignity. To bury someone without fulfilling traditional expectations is strongly frowned upon;
• Often more than one provider of funeral cover is used to ensure that when death occurs, the family is more than sufficiently covered;
• People are relatively insensitive towards the price they pay for funeral cover;
• In rural areas, funeral parlours are used more as banks than insurance policies.