Wings of a Bird

In Ethiopia, burial societies begin to tend to living, too - Boston Globe
When a family buries its dead in this Horn of Africa nation, burial societies, some older than a century, traditionally have organized everything from feeding the mourners to digging the graves.
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The groups have expanded their services to take care of the living, sending volunteers into homes to feed, bathe and comfort those who are bedridden.
The societies of death are becoming societies of life, too.
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"It's a great challenge for us," said Endalikhew Assefa, 35, a member of an idir committee in the Janmeda Akabi area of Addis Ababa. "We decided we had to start trying to save lives. Many women here have five, six or seven children. If a mother dies, she leaves so many orphans. That places new burdens on all of us."
Idirs operate on simple financial principles. A household contributes between 50 cents and $1 a month, and that money is pooled to pay for funerals in the community. ...