Toward a Transformative Social Protection: A Gender Analysis of Funeral Insurance in the Wa West District of Ghana

Community-initiated funeral insurance plays a critical role in the well-being of many people in sub-Saharan-Africa; yet, mainstream social protection programs tend to focus on cash transfer interventions. I argue that funeral insurance and gender need to be at the core of the strategies to understand social protection. I explore findings from a qualitative study of beneficiaries’ experiences of funeral insurance group in the Wa West District of Ghana. Narratives suggest that participation in funeral insurance groups improve the well-being of women. Efforts should be directed toward scaling up funeral insurance groups in developing countries due to the social significance of funerals.