The elders fearing death – and generational debt – after Youpla funeral fund collapse

Delia Lowe, a Jerrinja elder from the NSW south coast, is one of at least 20,000 Aboriginal people around Australia affected by the collapse of the disgraced funeral insurer ACBF-Youpla. Photograph: Blake Sharp-Wiggins/The Guardian

Jerrinja elder Delia Lowe has spent her life as an advocate for her people. Now 72, with multiple health conditions, she is worried about going to “the next spirit world” leaving her family in deep debt to provide a funeral she thought she had already paid for.

Lowe is one of at least 20,000 Aboriginal people consumer advocates say have been affected by the collapse of the disgraced funeral insurer ACBF-Youpla earlier this year.