Mutual Aim is an African and BIPOC-led nonprofit organization that dedicates itself to providing social and human services to war-torn areas and other underrepresented communities across the world. Our mission is to bring temporary aid to those we serve while still creating projects that create long-term, sustainable change to underserved communities.
Our Mission
Photo by Elvis Katoto
Our Vision
Now and throughout most of history, the world has experienced many cruelties that have left communities, countries, and continents in major devastation. Many of these populations have never truly recovered from their hardships, with many still awaiting real change. Mutual Aim’s vision is a world where everyone is supported at the basic level — where no one lacks healthcare, food, the choice to receive education, shelter, access to community, and everything they need to survive. But most importantly, our goal is to create a world where everyone has autonomy over the lives they live without financial or social anchors.
Our History
Mutual Aim was born on the dream of Africa’s independence and self-governance and was developed with the passion of a few people who shared that dream. The organization was founded on the 6th of May, 2024, by Adeseke A. (Shaky.) To date, she has led a team of advocates, humanitarians, and activists in bringing sustainable change to her people in Africa.
Mutual Aim’s story is intertwined with the stories of some of the most marginalized people in the world, starting with the black diaspora. It was born of the undeniable need for more people to be represented, protected, and valued. It is our understanding that for all people to be truly liberated, we must first represent and liberate the most marginalized. To represent those demographics, we must first immerse ourselves in the reality of their experiences.
After several months of reporting devastation from across the world, and specifically on Africa and the black diaspora, it was time to take tangible action for the people. There were many questions following this realization. What could be done? What was most needed? And to what extent would this organization be involved in this great change for the displaced and underrepresented people of the world? These were some of the questions, amongst many. Although the questions were endless, the answer was simple and yet not so simple. No matter what our questions or doubts were, the reality was that reporting on these horrors was simply not enough.
It began with a spreadsheet. In April of 2024, alongside some friends in the online activist space, Shaky began putting together a spreadsheet for Palestinian families. Through this spreadsheet, small content creators with a desire to contribute to the relief aid for Palestine could adopt families to advocate for, using their platforms to fundraise directly for them. Soon enough, volunteers started to sign up to become a part of this initiative.
Only a few weeks following the launch of this initiative, Mutual Aim was born. Africa was not to be left behind in the fight for change, and Shaky could think of no better time to implement some of the things she had dreamt of for her people as a child. Why was there no free housing in Africa? And if there was, why didn’t more people know about it? Why was it normalized for black people to go without water, food, shelter, or education? Most importantly, what could be done?
And so, with these questions, Mutual Aim launched its very first fundraiser that same year for the people of Western and Central Africa to provide basic needs but also to create a lasting difference. In finding the organizations, humanitarian groups, and individuals to partner with on the ground in Africa, the Mutual Aim Village (M.A.V. Chad) started taking shape. After speaking with the founder of our partner organization in Sudan and being informed about the needs of the people, it was clear that Chad was the perfect home for our village.
This Sudanese organization had opened a branch in Chad to accept Sudanese organizations that had been externally displaced into the country. Since 2005, Chad has received hundreds of thousands, if not millions of refugees from its neighboring countries including Sudan, Niger, Cameroon, Central African Republic (C.A.R.), Nigeria, and even the Democratic Republic of Congo (D.R.C.) The organization mentioned a lack of food, water, adequate clothing, shelter, schools, medical supplies/aid, and employment.
With this information, more research was conducted, and it was confirmed that Chad, indeed, was the perfect place to build this village where people could receive basic care and transition back into everyday society. The Mutual Aim team has since consulted with experts in their fields to determine the best ways to implement our dream and continues to do so.
On the journey of building Mutual Aim, we continue to learn the struggles of bringing marginalized voices and identities to the forefront of the crowd. Many hurdles have presented themselves, as is the case for many other organizations for the disenfranchised. In our quest to serve those in our communities and beyond, we will continue to lean on the voices of those within them to remain an accurate representation of them. Our aspirations are wide, but with the support of our community, nothing is impossible.