ECHO mobile library
ECHO is a multilingual mobile library operating out of Athens, Greece. We are inspired by the team’s dedication to the mission of providing a shared, accessible common space where people from different places can come together without fear of discrimination. On its website, ECHO Mobile Library states that it is working for a better world for us all, especially migrants, refugees and displaced people. Phonetic Planet is delighted to introduce you to this unique lending library.
It’s lovely to be able to connect with you guys! The concept of literacy as a gift that is accessible to all is something very dear to us here, at Phonetic Planet. We are naturally very supportive of libraries, and would love to learn a little more about ECHO. Can you tell us what inspired the idea of a library that would be mobile?
ECHO was started by solidarians and displaced people living in an informal camp - just a huge collection of tents, really - after the EU-Turkey deal suddenly shut the border to the rest of Europe and people who’d been on their way to find shelter got stuck. The library was started to make a space where people could come together and learn, talk, read, share books and stories. The police eventually evicted this camp and people were scattered into several different camps in isolated locations around Greece. That’s when we had the crazy idea to move the whole thing into a van - because this way, the whole original community could keep having access to the library. No one would have to lose out.
People waiting to make asylum claims continue to be forced into camps that are isolated in obscure locations without access to learning resources or community space. Meanwhile, our collection of multilingual books and learning resources have grown - so we continue to work out of a van because it gets us where we need to be, and gets as many people access to the wonderful library as possible
.Before the Covid pandemic and the resulting restrictions placed on your work, how many camps were you serving, and roughly how many children?
At the beginning of 2020 we were servicing eight camps and three community centers. The total population of these camps is around 5,000 people. On average about 200 children attend our sessions each week - structured activities based around books and literacy run by our team of volunteer pedagogues. Lots of parents also borrow books for their children; around 40% of the camps’ population are children, so there are lots of caretakers looking for resources for the little ones.
How many languages are catered for in your library?
We have books in twelve languages; Arabic, Turkish, Kurmanji, Sorani, Farsi, Pashto, Bandla, Urdu, Greek, English, French and German. Most of the books borrowed are in Farsi, Arabic and English, in that order.
Are there language lessons available?
Yes! There are informal language learning sessions in many of the library’s weekly sessions. They adapt in response to the needs and capabilities of the readers and librarians at any given time. Sometimes we have mother-and-baby English-through-Arabic classes; Greek beginners; basic English alphabet lessons for children; even lessons teaching adult literacy in Arabic.
Are other classes offered in the van?
Not really - although as described above, language lessons are often general literacy lessons too. Many of our readers have missed out on formal education - due to oppression because of their gender or ethnicity, or because they’ve been on the move for most of their childhood and excluded from schools wherever they go (Greece included).
Similarly, as many of the kids who use our library have had little formal schooling, our informal education sessions are also a place to learn some of the soft skills needed to thrive in that environment. Our hope is that by equipping some of the youngsters with these skills they’ll be in a better position to take advantage of school when the opportunity finally arises. We do offer exposure to artistic and musical experiences, however.
Do you receive feedback from those who borrow books?
Lots! People often want to chat about books they’ve read, from a simple ‘I love this one’ to full reviews that we post on our social media.
Where are your team members from? And what brought you to this project?
ECHO librarians come from all over! Most of us are migrants from elsewhere in Europe and North Africa and the middle east, and there are also of course local Athenians on the team, too. Some are trained librarians wishing to lend some skills and expertise to a project they feel passionate about - others came across the library when it visited the refugee camp that they live in.
Do you guys have a wishlist? What books or materials are on it?
Absolutely! We’re an independent grassroots organization that relies almost entirely on money raised from ordinary people passing the hat round. Regular monetary donations keep our wheels rolling and our two coordinators’ stipends paid. You can find our crowdfunder here - Keep ECHO mobile library for refugees on the road!
We also source most of our collection from generous donations. Right now, we could use some more:
Books for learning English, Greek and German
Books for adults, young people and children in Arabic, Turkish, Kurmanji, Sorani, Farsi, Pashto, Bandla, Urdu
Good quality non-fiction educational books in any language
Children’s books in any language that are about space, animals or dinosaurs (these are incredibly popular and often destroyed through passion)
Our gratitude goes to the team at ECHO for taking the time to chat with us. You can learn more about this initiative at https://echolibrary.org and you can follow this library on Instagram at @refugeelibrary .