Kalama Mutual Aid

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Over 150 monthly donors and 600+ one-time donors have generated over $60,000 redistributed through Kalama Mutual Aid since its founding in May 2021. Join the movement now through a small, sustainable monthly commitment or a one-time contribution.

 

About Us

Kalama Mutual Aid was born out of emergency, in response to rising authoritarianism and the pandemic in South Asia. These events have uncovered widespread systemic failures around the globe, and their effects are particularly pronounced among Black, Brown, AAPI, and Indigenous communities, Adivasis, Dalits, sex workers, migrant workers, and LGBTQ+ communities. Yet, we know that the pandemic is not the only crisis we have to fight. Skyrocketing inequality, climate emergencies around the world, and rampant social oppression drive marginalized groups into social and economic disempowerment. Those struggles, while distinct, are interlinked across the globe.

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The collective aims to cultivate community solidarity and fight economic inequality at the root by normalizing consistent redistribution and political education. Through fundraising pools, we aim to shift capital directly into the hands of individuals who are in urgent need, while raising awareness of various social and political issues at the same time. Our mission is humanitarian, but we reject the depoliticization characteristic of many charities. We urge you to join us by carving out a portion of your monthly budget to mutual aid.

Current Projects

Currently, we are in long-term collaboration with the two organizations listed below. We deliver $1,000 to each group on a monthly basis, with additional fundraisers for various groups or individuals that arise dynamically based on need. Learn more about our ongoing collaborations below.

Caste Equity Fund with Equality Labs

In close collaboration with Equality Labs, we are proud to support the Caste Equity Fund along with consistent political education on caste apartheid. The fund is used to mobilize a grassroots movement that is grounded in reparations for caste-oppressed communities, and supports Dalit organizers as well as supplying mutual aid necessities for Dalit community members, funding mental health support, and other causes.
 

Bangladesh Climate Resilience Project

We are in direct conversation with grassroots organizers of Bangladesh’s Community Town Federation. This women-led movement has mobilized a robust COVID response during lockdown, stepping in to provide food and other basic necessities to climate refugees. In 2022, the group is piloting an environmental mentorship program, where expert community members teach sustainable agricultural techniques to climate refugees in an effort to achieve food sovereignty and sustainability. This knowledge sharing program strives to empower the community to thrive beyond moments of peak disaster.
 

Why Mutual Aid?

"We're spending daily on so many things that have little to no significance to our own lives. In comparison to that, a small monthly contribution to mutual when we can, at least ensures that we're putting that money to actual use with way higher value for someone else." - Anonymous monthly donor
"There’s a moral imperative, you’ve made it really easy to directly help. I also feel more confident in donating to efforts you’ve gotten personally connected to, rather than a random go fund me on Twitter. Not that we need to vet everything, but I do think that’s a really helpful selling point when trying to recruit friends of friends." - Cody, monthly donor
"Because mutual aid is the most sustainable way to redistribute our wealth within and amongst our communities. Mutual aid creates sustainable alliances with community partners, thus increasing the probability that the money will go to people and organizations in need." - Amrutha, monthly donor
"The capitalist structure is cruel and unfair, and it's left the world in a shape where no governing or powerful structure thinks about common good. That's why it's come to us - everyday people, to stand in solidarity with each other, not letting our brothers and sisters get the small end of the stick for no fault of their own." - Anonymous monthly donor