After the fire in the Moria refugee camp, photographer and emergency aid worker Alea Horst interviewed children and young people in the Kara Tepe replacement camp about their experiences, their fears, dreams and hopes. The eponymic wish of ten-year-old Tajala from Afghanistan speaks of the longing for the fulfilment of very fundamental needs. There is no security, no protection, no structure on Lesbos. Large-format photographic portraits are combined with haunting sentences to create deeply moving insights into 22 young lives. Coming from Afghanistan, Syria or the Congo, the six to 14-year-olds are united by the loss of their homeland, the horror of flight and the agonising wait in the transit camp, which puts their hopes and courage to the toughest of tests. The photos show the children and young people in or in front of tents, alone or in pairs, sitting on cushions, lying on blankets or playing. Alea Horst's attitude is never voyeuristic, but always at eye level. It is the voices of the brutally marginalised children that are heard here. This conveys a differentiated picture of the individual fates behind the news images. Drawn vignettes by illustrator Mehrdad Zaeri delicately emphasise what has been experienced, wished for and missed - a house is always there.
This title was nominated for the 2023 German Children՚s Literature Award.