Kamuzu College of Health Sciences (Kuhes) Funeral Parlour mortuary assistant Joyce Mbewe never dreamt of working as mortician. “From childhood, I wanted to be a nurse, but life happened I did not make it into a nursing school. Then I aspired to a career in journalism, enrolled with the Malawi Institute of Journalism and studied for one semester.
Life happened again, I withdrew,” she starts narrating her story. “I enjoyed the job because I love interacting with people,” she says. One of them said: “Joyce you should be the one going for this post.
l know you to be a brave girl.” “I was surprised the friends had confidence in me that I will make it. This also gave me confidence,” she says. Before sending the application letter, Joyce consulted her parents.
[paywall]
“My mother was shocked and wondered why of all jobs I wanted to work in a mortuary. On the other hand, my father encouraged me to go for it and convinced my mother to accept my choice,” she says. Joyce, a first born in a family of six, all girls, later attended the interviews.
As she waited for the results, her heart was full of anticipation and one afternoon, she received the long awaited call of the job offer. “I laughed and danced. l have never been that happy in my life,” she says, her face brightening.
Upon recruitment, she underwent training in various aspects of the job, including body removal, body washing, embalming, body dressing, handling coffin lowering machines during burial and office procedures. The mother of two recalls chills down her spine when she first entered the mortuary. “The trainer removed a dead body from the cold room. I was so terrified that l stood two metres from the body as he showed me the process of embalming a body,” she says.
[/paywall]
All Zim News – Bringing you the latest news and updates.
