A network of French cafes-restaurants that employ people with disabilities opened a first Café Joyeux outside France on Saturday in Lisbon, in the presence of Sophie Cluzel, the French Secretary of State for People with Disabilities, and Portuguese President Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa.
To read also “Café Joyeux”, the address which is about to put a smile back on the Champs-Élysées
The expansion of the franchise, which intends to train and employ people mainly suffering from Down's syndrome or cognitive disorders such as autism, is the result of an agreement between the Fondation Émeraude Solidaire and the Portuguese association VilacomVida, which intends to open five to seven establishments in the Iberian country by 2026.
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Besides Portugal, other openings are planned in Europe by Café Joyeux France in the coming months,
” said the Fondation Émeraude Solidaire, which created the concept in Rennes in 2017. Since then, four other establishments have opened. in Paris and Bordeaux.
