His project, recently launched at Batanai business centre, about 100km west of Karoi, will bring that service closer home, enabling residents to cut down travel costs and the hiring of transport to ferry the body boxes.
“Most rural families are poor and they have been failing to give their beloved ones decent burials,” said Jimu, a former headmaster at Dandawa secondary school.
Poverty forced many to cover bodies with blankets when they collected them from the morgue at Chidamoyo Hospital and use homemade coffins of reeds, logs and other pieces of furniture.
The lowest coffin price in town is $50, but Jimu’s prices will start at $30 – and he is prepared to negotiate and accept instalments.
“I am trying to assist villagers get cheaper, locally available coffins,” said Jimu, who hoped that local burial societies would make use of his project to send off their beloved ones with dignity.
He aims to employ as many youths as possible in his project, as a way of reducing unemployment and raising incomes, while creating job opportunities for downstream business ventures such as plank-making. He is also making arrangements to accept barter items such as chicken and livestock as payment for his coffins.
Post published in: News