By Brij Khandelwal Agra, December 11, : .The Sheroes Hangout Cafe has reopened in Agra & Lucknow after nearly two years of closures due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
The Sheroes Hangout Cafe, Agra was launched on December 10, 2014.After a gap of two years, it opened on its seventh anniversary day, in the presence of a large number of social activists and well wishers in the Taj Nagari area.
The initiative is supported by the Chhanv Foundation.The cafe not only gives survivors employment but also acts as a platform to raise awareness about acid attacks and in taking this issue to an international level through the tourism that the cafe attracts.
Ajay Tomar of IANS spoke to IANS and said that the campaign triggered a wave of change.Many survivors became associated with the Chhanv Foundation.The exclusion of survivors from society meant that the improvement of their lives was not possible.”Sheroes Hangout Cafe” in Agra was established to help survivors and make necessary changes.
Roopa and Gita said, the “Cafe is based on the module which helps survivors in rehabilitation and empowers them with the platform from which they can raise their voices.Cafe has a different revenue module i.e.’pay as u wish’ concept, and contributes towards bringing people together for a noble cause.”
The cafe, close to the Taj Mahal attracts tourists from all over the world.The visitors can visit Sheroes Hangout Cafe and interact with survivors, appreciating their world of courage and strength, Dolly and Khushboo said.
Ashish Shukla (coordinator) stated that the revenue model for Chhanv Foundation’s various projects heavily depends on the Agra cafe.Revenues from the cafe pay the rent for Sheroes home (a rehabilitation center).
Cafe revenues also support the Educational Project for survivors and other projects.
The survivors said the pandemic brought huge challenges as their main source of revenue was the cafe, which was shut.
It was mainly dependent on the attention it received from the tourists.
Ajay Tomar said the challenges were just not about the general expenses, the chief problem was medical treatment which came to a halt with the closing of the cafe.
The projects/campaigns of Chhanv that ensured the development of survivors were also affected.The opening of the cafe is very crucial for all the survivors associated with the Chhanv foundation.”
According to survivors, the Sheroes Hangout was substantial as it allowed people to get a better understanding of survivors’ problems and lead to more social change.Through our Vision 2022 program, we want to revive the mission of improving survivors’ lives.
We will not only pay off our debts but induct survivors into the programme.This will provide better opportunities for employment.
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