Bhakita Today

The Experience of a low-income cadre health caregiver

by Mary Njeri Kinyanjui

Inspired by Saint Josephine Bakhita’s journey from slavery to freedom, Bakhita Today offers a poignant glimpse into the lives of low-income migrants in the United States working in lower-cadre healthcare jobs. Conceived on the feast day of Saint Bakhita, this anthology provides a raw and honest exploration of their experiences, echoing the spirit of “Maid” and “Nickel and Dimed.” Through intimate firsthand accounts, Bakhita Today weaves a tapestry of challenges, hopes, and struggles, revealing the resilience of the human spirit. These stories shed light on the systemic inequalities faced by vulnerable populations, including cultural shock, language barriers, family separation, and the struggle to balance work and life amidst physical exhaustion, emotional burnout, and racism. Despite these hardships, the anthology demonstrates the migrants’ steadfast determination, their sacrifices to support their families, and the crucial role of community and faith in overcoming adversity. Bakhita Today is a testament to the indomitable spirit of migrants and their enduring belief in a brighter future.

£17.00

About the author

Mary Njeri Kinyanjui

Mary Njeri Kinyanjui is a writer, researcher, teacher and volunteer
community organiser. She is a firm believer in social and economic
justice and self-reliance. She holds a PhD in Geography from Fitzwilliam
College at the University of Cambridge in the UK and is a senior
research fellow at the University of Nairobi’s Institute for Development
Studies. At the time of writing, she was a visiting associate at the
Five College Womens’ Studies Research Center in Mount Holyoke,
Massachusetts. She has researched economic informality and small
businesses, with particular focus on the role of grassroots and
indigenous institutions, as well as gender, trade justice and peasant
organisations, in the organisation of economic behaviour. Her current
research is on the positioning of women peasants, artisans and traders
in the global economy. Her publications include Women and the Informal
Economy in Urban Africa (Zed) and Vyama Institutions of Hope: Ordinary
People’s Market Coordination and Society Organization (Nsemia).