Dining With A Cause: This Café In Agra Empowers Survivors Of Acid Attacks

After paying a visit to Mumbai’s recently opened Mirchi & Mime, which operates with hearing and speech impaired waiters, we stumbled upon another eatery in Agra that is doing something similar for society. While Mirchi & Mime aids people who have dealt with disability for their whole lives, ‘Sheroes Hangout’ is focused on empowering women who are survivors of acid attacks.

Located within walking distance of the Taj Mahal, Sheroes was founded in 2013 as an initiative by the Stop Acid Attacks campaign by the Chhaya Foundation. It employs acid attack survivors and provides them with a range of options to empower themselves.

Reader’s Café

Part of the space in the café houses an ever growing library stocked with books donated by customers. It invites people to kick back and relax with light bites which include a variety of sandwiches and fries and a cool drink of which there are a multitude of milkshakes along with some great books.

Activism Workshops

Space in the café is also used to host workshops for victims of attacks. In these workshops, women are taught to use mobile phones, computers and other devices to better understand and be empowered through social media. The workshop also runs programs based on gender awareness, legal knowledge, cinema, art and culture.

Handicrafts and Exhibitions

The café reserves space to display hand crafted items such as jewellery and notebooks made by victims, to provide them with a source of income. It also opens its doors to allow others to exhibit and sell products, ensuring another source of income for the café.

Interestingly, the café operates on a ‘pay what you will’ concept. Most visitors, many of whom are tourists, are sympathetic towards the cause and pay generously. The Chhaya foundation hopes to open more such cafes in Kanpur, Ludhiana and Indore.

 Until then, the original Sheroes Hangout stands proud as a testament of change and acceptance in Agra, which is sometimes known as ‘the city of love.’ Check out an NDTV report on Sheroes below to better visualise the concept. And, if you’re ever in Agra pay a visit to this café before or after going to the Taj.