Survival: When putting food on the table is all that matters

 “It’s not glamorous; it’s back-breaking, but that’s what I do now—graveyard shifts. It pays the bills,” said James (not his real name) during a weekend drinking session with friends on the outskirts of Atlanta, Georgia.

It was one of the few nights he was off work from his warehouse job.

James is among African immigrants in the United States who have taken jobs outside their professional fields to make a living.

Some are trained doctors, teachers, lawyers and other professionals who end up working as taxi drivers, cleaners, carers and warehouse workers.

A Tanzanian woman, whose identity was not disclosed, shared her experience on the Instagram page of diasporaTz, an online platform focused on Tanzanians living in North America.

She spoke about working as a carer, including cleaning up after children, which she described as difficult but necessary.

She viewed the job as a starting point and a temporary sacrifice while working towards her goals.

After studying how other diaspora communities, including Chinese and Indians, had improved their economic prospects in the US, she moved into better employment.

“Don’t be ashamed of cleaning excrement as long as you do not do it forever; let it be just a starting point,” she said.

The phenomenon is commonly described as brain waste—when highly educated migrants work in jobs that do not match their qualifications.

Robert (not his real name) moved to the US more than a decade ago. After overstaying his visa, he could not legally work in the formal sector.

In Tanzania, he was a lawyer who had passed the bar and practised for years. In Virginia, he became an Uber driver.

He set aside his professional status and worked long hours, sharing accommodation with a friend and saving money. Returning to Tanzania was not an option. He wanted to remain in the US while pursuing legal status.

Before the Trump administration intensified its crackdown on illegal immigration, some Tanzanian immigrants without legal papers took whatever jobs they could find while seeking residence permits or working towards citizenship.

For some, however, temporary work becomes permanent, leaving them with little prospect of moving into jobs that match their qualifications.

The cost of supporting families

As remittances from Tanzanians living abroad continue to grow, the experiences behind that money often remain untold.

The country’s diaspora remittances are projected to reach $1.5 billion in the coming years, but behind the money sent home are stories of night shifts, long working hours and jobs that many migrants did not train to do.

One case that received media attention involved Tanzanian domestic worker Zipora Mazengo, who worked in Washington.

She arrived in the city in 2000 and worked for a prominent Tanzanian family. She was required to work long hours seven days a week, doing household chores including cleaning, cooking, washing dishes and shovelling snow.

She later sued her employer and was awarded $1 million.

While the case received publicity, it also highlighted the working conditions some migrants face while trying to earn money abroad.

Many continue working because their families in Tanzania depend on their income. They use their earnings to build homes, pay school fees and meet other family expenses.

Another Tanzanian immigrant, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said he works two jobs—security at a hotel at night and reception at another hotel during the day.

His sleeping hours have decreased over the years since he arrived in the US. At the same time, he has been building houses in Tanzania and helping to pay school fees for his nephews.

“I’m the backbone of my family. Without my remittances, my family back in Tanzania would starve,” he said.

The pressure to earn more has affected him mentally, but he said he had little choice but to continue working.

“My Nigerian friend who worked in a similar pattern to me just collapsed and died a few days ago,” he said.

Qualifications that don’t count

Age and professional qualifications can influence the type of work migrants find in Western countries.

African qualifications are not always recognised by employers, forcing some professionals to retrain before they can work in their fields.

A Tanzanian doctor who worked at Muhimbili National Hospital moved to Maryland in the US and was told she needed to study at an American university before she could practise medicine.

She eventually returned to Tanzania.

Research into brain waste among African immigrants has found that highly educated migrants can end up working as taxi and truck drivers, parking attendants, cashiers and carers.

A migration researcher cited by Stateline described the phenomenon as “brain waste” rather than simply brain drain.

The research also found that African men, despite high levels of education, remained concentrated in driving jobs even after decades in the US. African women, meanwhile, recorded a 130 per cent increase in wages between 1990 and 2010 and moved more successfully into nursing and other skilled occupations.

The social media image

Many of these experiences remain largely invisible because migrants often present a different picture of their lives on social media.

They post photographs of new cars, skyscrapers and nights out with friends, rather than the long shifts and difficult working conditions behind their lives abroad.

For some, racial discrimination and profiling add to the difficulties.

Interventions can also be difficult because many migrants are reluctant to speak publicly about their circumstances. Some regard low-status jobs as necessary for their families’ survival, while others struggle to accept that the life they expected abroad has not materialised.

When they return to Tanzania, some wear their best clothes, spend their savings and present themselves as successful migrants, leaving out the years of difficult work.

For older migrants who have spent decades abroad, returning may no longer seem like an option.

One 70-year-old immigrant who continues to do manual work said he was satisfied that his daughter, whom he brought to the US, had built a better life.

He may not have achieved the success he had imagined for himself, but he sees his daughter’s progress as his own achievement.

For younger migrants, the challenges can be different. Those who arrive without legal permission to work may compete for low-paid jobs while living with the risk of deportation.

Yet on a good day, they may still take a carefully framed photograph and post it on social media, showing friends and relatives back home that they are living their best lives abroad.