Mutual aid is about cooperating to serve community members. Mutual aid creates networks of care and generosity to meet the immediate needs of our neighbors. It also addresses the root causes of challenges we face and demands transformative change.

Amid an unrelenting pandemic, economic crisis, and increasing climate disasters, the need for mutual aid networks has grown significantly. These crises expose the deeply rooted systemic inequalities in our society—including in humanitarian aid. And mutual aid has always played a role in filling those gaps.

Here are three reasons why mutual aid is a powerful tool for change:

  1. Mutual aid is not new. Mutual aid in the form of collective self-reliance has existed for ages. Today, Indigenous families rely on long-established kinships and traditions to support entire communities.
  2. Mutual aid is solidarity. It can take many forms. The flexible structure encourages all community members to contribute their ideas and skills to meet their unique needs.
  3. Mutual aid respects unique needs. Community, compassion, and respect are the core of mutual aid work. At the height of the pandemic, Imagine Water Works launched the Trans Clippers Project after receiving requests for a haircut.

Read the full article about mutual aid by Victoria Méndez at GlobalGiving.