House of Words is a project launched by Colectivo Libera to create and bolster small libraries for self-organized housing projects in Athens that give shelter to migrants and individuals seeking asylum in Europe.

​

Each House of Words will have 70-80 volumes, mainly picture books for the youngest children, but also fiction, comics, non-fiction, and dictionaries, all of them in the native languages spoken by the residents and in English. The idea is for these books to have as many images as possible, since these are a direct and universal medium of communication. This list of works contains the titles selected for this project.

 

The housing projects that receive a House of Words will have an appropriate space for it and an individual in charge of its management and promotion.

We want to galvanize individuals and groups who see themselves as active participants in society and who have resolved to take a stand against an unjust situation in order to bring about change.

​

We are in contact with several housing projects in Athens willing to participate and are in the process of selecting books that fit the needs of the communities that will be using them. In order to purchase them, we have launched a fundraising campaign based on crowdfunding, the sale of handicrafts, and cultural events. These efforts are complemented by informational lectures in educational and cultural centers in Spain and Greece, with the objective of widening the impact of our project and spreading the social and human motivations behind it.

​

We have started the project collaborating in the provision of libraries with Khora, Orange House, and a small library in a backpack for unaccompanied minors. 

​

With the help of donors like you, we will create our first House of Words, which will soon reach its destiny and come to life. Then there will be another one, and another one, and… The contact persons in each housing project will keep us abreast of the use and impact of the books in the lives of their readers, as well as inform us of any future needs their communities may have.