Lisbon Library Creates Free Audiobooks for Blind Kids

When Pedro lost his sight at six months old, his mother Dídia Lourenço discovered a heartbreaking gap in Portugal's book world. She couldn't find accessible books for her baby anywhere.

"My first frustration was going to big bookshops wanting to buy accessible books and not being able to find them," Lourenço says. "I felt that my son should also have the right to the word, in his own form of writing."

She didn't just accept the situation. Together with other parents, Lourenço founded Bengala Mágica, an association supporting blind and partially sighted children across Portugal.

The organization has now partnered with Alcântara Municipal Library in Lisbon to create "Words that Embrace," a growing collection of audio stories read by volunteers from all walks of life. Writer Maria Saraiva de Menezes serves as the project's mentor after being inspired to help while reading about elderly care home residents who longed for volunteers to read to them.

Now 10 years old, Pedro has become a devoted fan of the collection. "Ever since I was a baby I've been asking for stories," he says, recalling how his mother would read to him constantly.

The problem Pedro and his family faced isn't small. Braille books remain extremely limited in Portugal, with most produced by a single center in Porto. Books specifically created for blind children are so rare that Lourenço says she "knows them all by heart."

The Ripple Effect

What started as one mother's frustration has blossomed into something much bigger. So far, 61 volunteers have recorded videos, with 115 stories completed and 15 already published on YouTube channels accessible to anyone in the Portuguese-speaking world.

"It's an inclusive activity for anyone, any child, anywhere," Saraiva de Menezes explains. The library coordinator notes that the collection isn't just for blind readers but for any child or adult who loves listening to stories.

The project's energy has proven contagious. "People who would never have dreamt of doing this even thank us for having given them this opportunity," Saraiva de Menezes says.

The team is already expanding their reach. They're now partnering with the Portuguese Association of the Deaf to create a similar program using Portuguese Sign Language, making stories accessible to even more children.

Anyone can volunteer to read by visiting the library in person or signing up remotely, turning their voice into a gift that travels across borders.