Down Café, an inclusive project for youth with disabilities, employs 12 young people who work and receive therapy at the same time.
Established in 2011 through the Interior Ministry's fund, Down Café in the southeastern city of Adana employs 12 people with Down syndrome, while providing them with an opportunity to socialize.
Employees begin working after a comprehensive training period where they learn how to serve food, clean tables and maintain hygiene standards.
Affirming the positive effects of employment, Olguner said, "Getting together with people and seeing different faces is very important for people with disabilities."
Olguner emphasized the importance of healthy socialization, "People with down syndrome are happy in social life. They have friends at home and school."
Down syndrome workers have developed immensely since working at the café. "They were unable to form a sentence when they were first employed, but they can communicate easily and serve food now," he affirmed.
The biggest problem facing the café is a lack of local government and private sector support. "We need to attract more customers in order to pay rent, yet we have difficulty in doing this. I am not sure how long we can handle it," Olguner complained.
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