WHAT IS MUTUAL AID:

Mutual aid is “co-operation for the sake of the common good.”

It’s getting people to come together to meet each other’s needs, recognising that as humans, our survival is dependent on one another

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Within Brent, twenty Mutual Aid groups have been working together since March 2020 to provide practical and emotional support to local residents, as many existing groups providing food aid, care and support were under increasing strain.

 

Some of the wards have been reflecting on how COVID-19 has affected us all. We believe it has brought people together, in a spirit of community and solidarity, to support and look out for one another. As we moved out of lockdown, volunteer numbers are going down and the need for mutual aid is stronger than ever amongst the wards. Food banks are finding inventive ways to raise money, one of them featured in our newsletter, Mutual Aid Willesden Food, helped over 8500 households. 

Data from the Office of National Statistics (March-May) reflects what we have all heard in the news lately, that Brent has the most furloughed staff in the UK and is now in the top five of all boroughs within London to have the most COVID-19 cases. Brent is one of the most diverse Local Authorities in the UK, with 45% of Brent residents born outside of the UK and around 65% of residents are from Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic (BAME) backgrounds. COVID-19 has highlighted ongoing racial inequalities in this country, such as people from BAME communities being twice as likely to die from the virus than those from other communities.