Cafe Daria is the first job training site for young adults with special needs in Cusco, Peru, an extension project for the students of Manos Unidas’ young adult vocational training program, Phawarispa. Manos Unidas founded the first non-profit school for special education in Cusco in 2009.
Manos Unidas’ Mission is to improve the quality of life of individuals with developmental and intellectual disabilities such as autism, Down syndrome and cerebral palsy in Cusco, PERU, through quality education, teacher training and parent advocacy, leading to successful inclusion within families, public schools and the workplace.
Cafe Daria opened the doors on April 2 with a starter grant from the GO campaign foundation but we need your help to cover further capital investments + Phawarispa program expenses. Will you support our youth?
Cafe Daria + Pizzeria will:
- Provide a vocational training site for Manos Unidas’ students
- Sell baked and natural products made by MU’s students
- Serve as a safe employment site for young adults with special needs in the community
- Increase visibility of young adults with special needs working within the Peruvian community as positive examples for employers
- Increase public visibility to the international community to attract additional funding and support for Manos Unidas
- Create a sustainable solution for supporting our school-based vocational training program.
Since 2016, Cafe Daria has been operating within Manos Unidas’ project Phawaripsa, A Dr. Cynthia Project, as a vocational training program. This campaign will help buildout the new permanent location for Cafe Daria in the tourist center of Cusco, Peru. Cafe Daria will employ a diverse team including other youth with special needs and people without special needs who will serve as coaches for young adults in training.
Cafe Daria launched with a starter grant of $7,000 . . . but our vision and business plan grew, increasing the need for further funding. We ended up with a fantastic location and ideal rental price, allowing us to expand our opportunity for increased sales.
Partnership with Project Phawarispa:
Manos Unidas’ Project “Phawarispa”, a Dr. Cynthia Project, launched in April of 2014 directed at young adults 17-25 years old with special needs, The 20 students from the Vocational Training and Functional Life Skills classes will be the main participants within the Cafe Daria project.
The Vocational Training class is directed at young adults with mild to moderate disabilities to teach vocational skills and inclusive employment. The students will participate with Cafe Daria in two ways:
- Participate as practicum students training as waiters, kitchen assistants and bussers
- Host the production site for baked goods sold in the cafe
The Functional Life Skills class is directed at young adults with significant disabilities to teach independent skills that will contribute towards their home and community environment. Students in this class will:
participate in the production of organic products such as natural yogurt, jams and dried herbal teas from the school’s organic garden to be used and sold at Cafe Daria
Your Donation . . . a step towards sustainability
Our goal is to raise $25,000 to cover capital investments + support operational expenses of Project Phawarispa. Project Phawarispa employs (4) teachers, (4) teaching assistants, a baker, a psychologist, an employment coach and a head coordinator with an annual operating budget of $83,000. Our goal for Cafe Daria is to further support sustainable income for project Phawarispa.
How Your Donation will help:
$100- buy a uniform and apron for one of our students (40 needed!)
$500- sponsor a Phawarispa student for the year and receive updates (20)
$1,000- Your name published in the entrance of our school production room
$5,000- Your name published in our cafe as a capital investor
