These are the words of a library user who first encountered the library in September last year. Newly arrived into Europe after a long and traumatising journey he found himself in one of the many so-called reception facilities on Greece's mainland. Isolated, with nothing to do except survive. Then he found the library.

When ECHO was founded in northern Greece in 2016 we could not imagine that, 10 years later, we would still be going. It is a bittersweet feeling - such a joy and privilege to meet and support people as they slowly start to rebuild their lives, but also saddening that our work is still needed in such a way.

ECHO Mobile Library was originally started in order to provide library services to people living in refugee camps across Greece. From emergency response, camps transformed into a permanent feature of the Greek asylum system, often described by residents as prison-like and with substandard living conditions. Remoteness, isolation and a constant lack of basic services are some of these structures’ main features.

Approximately 7,000 people live in the camps around Athens visited by our library. Practical and policy-based barriers have been put in place to severely limit the connection between camps’ residents and the rest of the population. The lack of public transport connections limit the ability of residents to reach the city, with its networks, services and opportunities. Conversely, bureaucratic restrictions are used to hinder access to camp by local groups or organisations.

In our 10 years of existence we have witnessed first-hand how books act as a powerful antidote to boredom, loneliness and an equally strong support for mental health. Books are also the key to building meaningful relationships with people in the camps, foster mutual understanding and learning from each other.

Each week the library visits 4 refugee camps, and 3 other community or public spaces with our books and activities for people of all backgrounds, languages and ages. Last year we loaned over 1000 books in myriad languages and distributed more than 3000 language-learning resources.

As well as the books themselves, our library is a hub of activity for people of all ages and language groups. From children’s art activities, informal language exchange, legal support, backgammon tournaments and music groups, our library is a place where people are recognised as individuals with their own experiences, hopes and interests, not simply the number of their asylum case.

This year, our 10th anniversary, we need more help than ever. It is clear that that camps are not going anywhere, nor is there any impetus to make the living conditions any more tolerable. Our library is small, but with your support, our impact can be mighty. Can you help us to see the library through another 10 years?

To put it in perspective, here's what your donation could go towards:

£12 - a new Arabic or Farsi book to add to our library

£25 - the art materials for two children's sessions

£38 - our printing costs - language resources etc - for one week

£100 - replacement strings for the guitar, new chess sets, puzzles and games for 1 year.

£200 - gets us to and from all our sessions for one month (diesel)

£380 - insures the mobile library for one year.

£550 - is the the monthly stipend for one of our 2 long-term coordinators

£1500 - is our annual budget for buying new books for the library

And for grander aspirations:

£20,000 buys ECHO a new library van when our current one breaks down beyond repair (it almost did in 2025).

£40,000 runs the entire library project for one year, with even more to spend on books, a living wage for our coordinators and very happy librarians and library users.