Bhakita Today

written by Mary Njeri Kinyanjui

The Experience of a low-income cadre health caregiver
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.

Mary Njeri Kinyanjui

Mary Njeri Kinyanjui earned her PhD in Geography from the University of Cambridge, United Kingdom, and her master’s from Kenyatta University, Kenya. She taught at the Institute for Development Studies, University of Nairobi, Kenya. She has benefited from numerous awards and fellowships and been a guest scholar in development studies at research centres and institutes across Africa and Europe. She has also been a member of the Board of Governors of several secondary schools in Kenya. She was a Visiting Research Associate at Five College Women’s Study Research Center, based at Mount Holyoke College in Massachusetts in the USA, where she facilitated a seminar on Topologies of self-reliance and solidarity in African communities. She is author of the Langaa book Coffee Time, which is based on the experience of her family and is practically a treatise on development. Other publications include: Women and the Informal Economy in Urban Africa: From the Margins to the Centre (2014); African Markets and the Utu-Ubuntu Business Model (2019); and The Sweet Sobs Response of Women to Anthropain (2019).