It all started one morning, when James, a serious businessman in Kigali went to University Hospital to check on his brother who had been admitted for just a day due to metabolic complications. He was shocked to find that his brother had passed away. He broke down and could not do anything after that. A friend of James who had come to check on another patient found him in sorry state and asked him what the matter was. James could not even explain. “He has lost a brother,” a doctor informed the friend. The friend then rushed and came back with an ambulance to transport the dead body. The ambulance belonged to Agapante Funeral Services operating from Kitega. According to Languide Kawanga the owner of the company which has operated since 2004, she had the business idea but given the nature of the work and being a woman, she says she was afraid. “I first feared to put the business idea in place but because after realizing how needed it was, I tried it out and it worked,” she said. Agapante funeral service offers all possible funeral services to the public from the time one loses a loved one to the time of burial. It offers flowers for decorating coffins, coffins, ambulances and other related services. She also explained that when people lose their dear ones, they are not able to perform properly in that given time. “People need comfort because this kind of life experience is hard for someone to do his or her duties. Therefore a company which gives such services in a difficult moment was important,” she underscored. The company now owns three ambulance cars which Kawanga said came as a result of hard work and cooperation within the company. “My business idea was not to help only those who are in hard moments but I also believed that I would be able to change some people’s lives through employment as well,” she said. The company employs ten permanent and ten casual ones. Could there be such other companies? What is the attitude of Rwandans towards such a business? Well, we might need your view for our pages next time. Ends
