# Journal Entry: Reflections on the First Mutual Aid Campaign ---

--- Launching a mutual aid request is never an easy choice. It requires stepping forward and making one's immediate vulnerabilities visible within a larger, often unyielding economic system. As a student juggling an IT diploma and disability and humane-tech activism, managing basic survival without a reliable safety net is a constant structural challenge. ## The Outcome and Tangible Impact The response from the community demonstrated the real value of solidarity. The campaign brought in a net of RM142.00 after bank fees. Rather than measuring this simply in fiat currency, the true measure lies in the tangible resources and stability it secured: * **Connectivity:** Renewed the monthly internet plan, ensuring continuous connection for ongoing studies and activism work. * **Pantry Staples:** Secured long-term essentials like rice, cooking oil, sugar, and green tea. * **Practical Survival Food:** Purchased shelf-stable items like canned curry and quick-access meals, carefully tailored to a living situation without a refrigerator and designed to support low-energy or burnout days. ## Moving Forward This first campaign is now officially closed. The experience highlights that mutual aid is not about charity, but about collective survival and building care systems from the ground up. With these basics secured, the focus returns fully to education, daily routines, and continuing the work ahead.