Latin American House came into being as an initiative created by Latin Americans living in

London in the early 1980s.

Another centre for Latin Americans already existed in a different part of London, mainly
founded by English supporters of Latin America. Larger numbers of Latin Americans started to
arrive, originally for immigration and later due to the military coup which took place in Chile,
leading to the arrival of a new generation of immigrants seeking asylum in England.

These individuals joined the existing Latin American centre and later decided that they should
have their own organisation which they could run and basically, have some responsibility for
themselves.

Julio Echart
At the time there was a lot of solidarity from the Labour Party and its supporting trade unions,
which helped them to find accommodation and work, in some cases, although there was no
central headquarters. There was an office at King's Cross which ran the Latin American Youth
Worker Group supported by the trade unions and in due course, the Chile Solidarity Campaign
and the Chile Committee for Human Rights evolved.

Enrique
So the idea of forming a Latin American charity organisation came about, and one of the main
aims was to find an adequate building which could house many different Latin American
community projects all under one roof.

Julio Echart
The opportunity arose, with the help of Kensington council, the first GLC Greater London Council
and the support of Ken Livingstone, to buy the building; or in other words, the house was given
to us, we were given the freehold.

That took place around the mid-eighties, so that was the first time that the organisation had
headquarters.

Enrique
Then some of the Latin American projects moved to the building in 1986.

Txus
There are several projects running. Let's start with the nursery, which is bilingual - It primarily
attracts Latin American families who want to preserve their traditions, culture and language.
However there are also many English people who want to learn about Latin culture and want
their children to learn a second language.

Another service also provided by the nursery is the Saturday school for those who want to keep
learning Spanish as either a first or second language.
The LESAS (Legal and Social Services) project has been central right from the start.

Mario
Anybody who has any immigration problems can call Casa Latina and they are given an
appointment to come and see me. I then ask them about their immigration status and we try to
find a solution as best we can in the limited time we have, otherwise I can give them guidance
and tell them where they should go.

Many different cases exist. There are people who want to bring their relatives over from outside
the UK or others who want to legalize their immigration status. Many others who have been
living in the UK for years and no longer have the necessary papers also want to verify their
status and bring their wives or children over.

Julieta Herrera
I needed legal advice. Id got married to an English man a few months beforehand and needed
help sending legal documents. Initially I went to another Latin charity but they basically asked
me to pay, which I didn't have the option of doing. Id heard about Casa Latina and when I had
the chance to speak to the advisor in person, he gave me all the help I needed at no charge,
which was exactly what I needed at that moment in time.

Gabriela
The nursery started as a crche in 1986, was later registered by OFSTED in 1992 and given the
name Centro Infantil Mench in honour of Rigoberta Mench.

We currently have 20 children registered, with approximately 17 children attending per day, half
of whom have Latin American, Spanish or Portuguese origins whilst the other half have no
connection to Latin America.

Some families live in the area nearby whilst others live a little further away, but they are all
parents who they want their children to learn Spanish.

We provide different activities for children relevant to their likes, skills and ages. The children
here are between the ages of 2 to 4 and a half years old.

The philosophy behind learning in primary education is that children learn through playing, so
our task as teachers is to stimulate child's play, curiosity and creativity.

Carmen
Well, Id always popped in just to pick up the Spanish speaking newspaper and one day as I
came to pick up the latest edition Txus said to me 'What are you doing here?' and I replied,
shaking, "I've just come to pick up a paper' and she said "Well go upstairs and study". I stood
there looking at her, saying "Me? Study?' and she replied "Yes, yes, go and study". I said "No, I
haven't come for that, I only came to get a paper" and she told me "Go upstairs and study." I
went to the classroom and was shaking with nerves and asked the teacher "Am I allowed to
join?". Mohamed, the teacher, told me to come in and Id never been made to feel more
welcome in all my life.

First, I learnt to use a computer and I then did a Skype course. When I made my first call I was in
shock, because itd been 13 years since I hadn't seen my family and I didn't recognise my son, I
couldn't believe how the years had gone by and how handsome hed become. Well, I cried and
was speechless with emotion and had to hang up that very moment because it was a feeling
that only someone who has been gone through the same experience can understand. From that
moment on I set up a routine to talk to my parents.

Jess
Those who attend are people who are currently looking for work or who are retired and simply
want to learn how to use a computer, have an email account and look up information on the
Internet.

Mara, Tierra Theatre
We arrived about a year and a half ago and we began running the Cine Forum which was an
activity in high demand at that time. There were many people from all over the community
asking us about it, getting in touch with the charity, coming in and asking what had happened to
the cultural activities and if the cine forum was going to make a comeback.

So we decided to take the first steps and started to show documentaries from new directors,
especially films that don't make it to the big screen. What we try to do is screen films that have
a link to Latin America, which set out to tell you something about society, and the issues that
currently affect us.

Adriana
I direct Ventana Latina magazine which began as a newsletter in 2010 for clients of the Latin
American House. It began to grow organically until it became what it is today, a cultural
magazine catering to the needs of the community. Articles, photos, writers wanting to showcase
their poetry and information about artists and their current projects all started to arrive;
therefore it became necessary to create something bigger. Ventana Latina is a cultural project, a
platform, for Latin American art and culture in London. This cultural project basically aims to
promote artists and writers from Latin America living in the diaspora and this allowed various
different sections of the magazine to spring up, covering different topics such as art and
culture.

Jos (Volunteer)
I can say that Casa Latina helped me get my current job and the experience has helped me to
get to where I am today.

Case Study (Older gentleman)
I'm just starting to realise that the Latin American House isn't just for Latinos. I see people from
different countries coming here to study and practise their English and their I.T. skills.

Carmen
I thank god and the Latin American House for providing all of these courses. Sometimes we take
for granted how important the centre is in our daily lives, especially for us Latinos who have left
our families behind.

Julieta
Latin American House provides information, helps you to find your bearings and supports you
when you feel alone. There are many times when you feel lonely in a foreign country. It can be
hard to find help and if there is any available, it's expensive and you don't have the means to
pay for it. I think the feeling of being at home and of having a helping hand from a friend
describes what Latin American House is.

Adriana
The Latin American presence in London and the UK in general was rather invisible. It wasn't
obvious at all and even now, there is only one council in London which recognises Latin
American as an ethnic group.