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Date: 2016
Location: Filippiada Camp, Greece
Photographer: Yorgos Kyvernitis
Source: UNHCR/Yorgos Kyvernitis
Syrian refugees (left to right) Kadri, 12, his brother Abdul, 7, and their cousin Mohammed, read books at the newly built library at Filipadia camp on the Greek mainland.
Background: At Filippiada Camp in northwest Greece, home to several hundred Syrian and Afghan refugees, a library has been constructed. Refugees helped volunteers and UNHCR staff to assemble the bookshelves, chairs, and tables and neatly arranged the first books to arrive: children’s books, novels, and poetry in Arabic, Persian, and English. The project was funded by the European Commission — Humanitarian Aid and Civil Protection, and was part of UNHCR’s community-based projects initiative, aimed at meeting refugee’s needs. Discussions were held with refugees here, who identified a library as a way to occupy children’s time and help peaceful coexistence in the camp.
Photos downloaded from the Essential Lens site are cleared for educational use only.