Coffee with Dignity: Empowering Down Syndrome Yout

Over the past months, thanks to your generous support, Coffee with Dignity – Empowering Down Syndrome Youth has taken important steps toward opening our first inclusive training café in Northwest Syria.

What we’ve achieved so far

With your help, our team at Salam Humanitarian Foundation (SHF) has:

Completed a detailed needs assessment with families of young people with Down syndrome in Idlib and Aleppo, confirming the urgent need for vocational training and meaningful work opportunities.

Designed a tailored training curriculum that combines basic café skills (hospitality, serving, simple food and drink preparation) with life skills (communication, money handling, and personal care).

Prepared a safe and accessible training space inside our existing disability center, including furniture and basic equipment, so participants can train in a real café-like environment.

Launched introductory life-skills and pre-vocational sessions with a first group of young people with Down syndrome, focusing on following simple routines, teamwork, and building self-confidence.

These steps may seem small, but for our participants and their families, they are huge milestones on the road from isolation to inclusion and dignity.

A story from the project

One of our new trainees is Rand, a 40-year-old with Down syndrome who has rarely left home since displacement. In the first sessions he was very shy and avoided eye contact.

Now, after several weeks of group activities, he proudly welcomes other youth at the door, helps set the tables during role-play “café” sessions, and insists on wiping every cup “because customers must feel respected,” as he says. His mother told us:

“For the first time, I see my son preparing for a real role in society, not just staying at home. This project gives him and us hope.”

Your support is what makes this change possible.

Challenges we are facing

Working in a conflict-affected, economically fragile area is not easy. We are currently facing:

Funding gaps that limit how quickly we can purchase specialized café equipment and adaptive tools that make tasks easier for youth with different abilities.

Economic pressure on families, which sometimes makes it hard for them to prioritize transportation costs so their children can attend regular sessions.

Psychosocial stress among caregivers and youth due to displacement, insecurity, and poverty, which means we must combine vocational training with continuous psychosocial support.

Despite these challenges, our team and participants are deeply committed to continuing.

What comes next

In the coming months, with your continued support, we plan to:

Finalize and roll out the full six-month training program for a larger group of young women and men with Down syndrome.

Equip the training café space with the remaining items (a small counter, basic kitchen tools, accessible shelves, and safety equipment).

Organize “practice café days” where families, community members, and local organizations are invited to be “customers,” helping our trainees practice real interactions and build confidence.

Strengthen psychosocial support for both youth and caregivers, including group sessions, awareness sessions on inclusion, and peer-support activities.

Our long-term vision is that some of these young people will be ready to work in the inclusive café, earn their own income, and be recognized as active, valued members of their community.

Thank you

To every donor who chose to support this project: thank you. Each contribution, no matter the size, is helping us move one step closer to opening the café doors and saying to our youth:

“You are capable. You are needed. You belong.”

We are deeply grateful for your solidarity with young people with Down syndrome in Syria. Please continue to stand with them by sharing this project with your friends and networks so that more families can benefit from Coffee with Dignity.