In Mozambique’s Beira, shipping pallets repurposed as coffins

In Beira, Mozambique, where funerals are a costly affair, Amelia Armando Machava’s workshop transforms discarded shipping pallets into affordable coffins, providing dignity for the city’s poorest amid economic hardship.

In a dilapidated building in Mozambique’s Indian Ocean city of Beira, a dozen young men work away at handcrafting humble coffins from wooden pallets discarded by cargo ships that dock at its huge port.

Sawdust floats in the air and the sound of hammering fills the workshop where the only electric equipment—a makeshift saw and a drill—buzz intermittently as the pallets are repurposed with basic carpentry techniques.

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The coffins produced in this downtown funeral parlour are cheaper than others on the market, a service for residents buckling under hikes in the cost of living which have made dealing with death more expensive too.

An old, rusted sawmill stands unused in the corner, covered in dust and cobwebs, a relic of a time when the economy of the city 700 kilometres (435 miles) northeast of the capital Maputo was more robust.

The building—worn and weathered—dates back to before independence from Portugal in 1975, standing as a testament to the resilience of its owner, 56-year-old Amelia Armando Machava.

Machava started the funeral parlour in 1998 with the help of a single municipal carpenter who came in only when she could afford to pay.

“In 1998, I transitioned from baking to fashion design,” Amelia said. But there was not much money in tailoring as so many women had turned to their sewing machines to make a living.

So, “I saved what I could from sewing, and that’s how I began making coffins.”

Initially, business was slow and Machava made only one or two coffins a week. But as locals grew familiar with her work, demand increased. Today, her team produces dozens of coffins for a city often in need.

A bustling marketplace has emerged in the dimly lit workshop. Women carrying baskets of snacks weave between the busy carpenters, offering quick refreshments.

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Young boys arrive with bundles of recycled plastic and Styrofoam that will be shaped into delicate flowers to adorn the finished coffins.

‘Dignity in death’

Mozambique is one of the poorest countries in the world with around 75 percent of its 33 million people living on less than a dollar a day.

Beira, one of its largest cities, has seen particularly tough times: Cyclone Idai made landfall here five years ago and went on to claim more than 600 lives, wrecking homes, businesses and crops.

About 90 percent of the city was destroyed, according to some estimates.

The cost of an ordinary funeral for most Mozambicans can reach 200,000 meticals ($3,130) which is unattainable for many. Just a coffin, even the ones Machava’s team makes from scrap wood, can cost between around $90 and $1,500.

In 2021, major cities saw drastic rates hikes that disproportionately affected urban residents, 80 percent of whom live in poverty.

It led to cremation costs surging from 500 to 5,000 meticals while the fee to reserve a grave jumped from 1,500 to 4,500 meticals. Even the small identification plates on the wooden crosses at a grave went up, from 100 to 400 meticals.

“People don’t have money but they need a way to bury their dead,” Machava said.

“When I know someone is struggling, I don’t charge them. It’s about helping the community,” she said.

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During times of crisis—for example the aftermath of Cyclone Idai in 2019—she has given away coffins to families who cannot afford them.

“We’ve survived cyclones, disasters, and economic downturns,” Machava said, standing in the dusty light of the workshop.

“But we keep going. This is more than just a business. It’s how we survive and how we help others cope with loss and send our departed with some dignity that life may not have afforded them.”