Mama Julia, a tea seller at New Site cemetery receives chairs from a well-wisher. (Courtesy)

For the last two years, 41-year-old Mama Julia James has been serving tea and water to bereaved mourners under a makeshift shelter inside sunbaked New Site cemetery in Juba, and a good Samaritan finally rewarded her hospitality.

When authorities closed down her tea shop at Juba Market in 2020, Julia was left with limited choices to survive, and had to move to the cemetery where she constructed a two-room shelter – one a tea shop and the other her residence.

The single mother now lives with her five children and serves drinks to mourning customers on daily or weekly basis in what has apparently become a home to both the dead and the living.

Despite the uncomfortable situation, Juila’s biggest problem has been insufficient sitting places for her customers, who can sometimes be overwhelming.

“Before, I used to have ten chairs and some are broken, even sometimes I invited the graveyard visitors to use our room if there is no more place under the tree or the tea place,” she told Eye Radio.

Mama Julia’s business is unfortunately dependent on the rate of burials.

Her income usually increases when there are many visitors, provided that they buy tea. On some occasions, she goes home empty hand.

However, this has not hindered her hospitality of serving free water and providing a shade to bereaved visitors. Every day, she diligently wakes up to fill two big barrels of water and prepare her tea place.

“I start filling barrels with water and sell tea to the cemetery visitors. Its help me to get some money and also provide services to the visitors and I kept some of these money in safe to help with my children need as schools’ fees.”

On Thursday, Julia was busy preparing her tea place when some people came to bury their dead.

Among the mourners, a lady approached and asked Julia for a seat in the shade. But there was no seat left, so she had to spread a piece of blanket for the visitor. Unknown to Julia, the offer of a piece of blanket would later change her business for good.

“The lady told me, tomorrow, I will bring you some chairs. I didn’t believe her, but I said thank you if you will do that,” she recalled.

That day, even Julia and her children’s room was full people. She offered that lady a piece of blanket to be spread out under the small shade of the tree.

The next day, Jijwok John Adhok, a businesswoman in Juba fulfilled her promise and donated 30 plastic chairs to Mama Julia to support her business.

“After they buried their loved one, she came and exchange numbers with me. The following day, I woke up, and called. She told they were in the market buying chairs for me and they would arrive later in my place with 30 chairs.”

“I asked her if she brought these chairs for cemetery visitors or for her. The lady has decided to help me for the good heart I showed them by supporting my work with these chairs.”

Julia said her working in the cemetery is not to hope for more burials in order to earn customers, but a way to mourn with and serve those with broken hearts.

“I didn’t start this work so that when people die and are brought to cemetery to buried, I can gain money,” she said.

“Now, I will extend my place to provide more shelter to the visitors regardless of if they buy me tea or not, I just want to make sure there is safe place them from the sun I stay there because I don’t have a house.”

On her part, Jijwok John Adhok, the businesswoman who support Mama Julia with 30 chairs is the owner of, Mamia – a fly agency company in Juba.

“It was a sunny day, we had been there since 10 in the morning, and there was no place where we can take shelter – only Julia’s house which is full of people,” she narrated.

“I don’t know her but because of the kind heart she has, I told her I will bring you. 30 chairs. First, I asked her how she manages to sleep in the graves, she said they are accustomed to that.”

“I bid her farewell with chairs to sell tea, and I have noticed that she used her own stuffs to serve the cemetery visitors.

Jijwok appeals to successful businesswomen to support small-scale fellows many of whom are struggling to earn a living.

“I would like to tell entrepreneurs women who want to support other women, but do not know how. The beginning can start with simple things by buying a number of a kilo of sugar for tea sellers or even tea glass or rent place for them.”

“Some charcoal bags would also do. We can support each other as women with little we have let us not shy and says what we provide maybe is not enough.”