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In a public garden of the Syrian capital, Abdel Rahmane presents all smiles glbades of water and tea to customers who have quenched their thirst. Like him, all the waiters of the café "Sucet" are Down syndrome, in a country where the war has helped to marginalize the mentally handicapped.
"Of course I am very happy", confides the young man of 21 years, cap on the gray head and apron on his immaculate white shirt. Speaking with broken sentences, he squeezes the proposed drinks: "coffee, tea and juice."
Without ever giving up his smile, joking with consumers, Abdel Rahmane comes and goes between covered tables white tablecloths decorated with bouquets in the middle of the trees in the Tichrine Garden, Damascus's largest park covering 30 hectares.
Like him, 16 boys and girls, all suffering from Down syndrome, follow each other in the morning and evening to provide service.
"This is the first time in my life that I have been working and receiving a salary," enthuses Hazem Zahra, behind the counter.
"I do not want the café closes ", pleads the 26-year-old man with the corpulent silhouette.
Launched during the" Damascus brings us together "festival, organized by the Ministry of Tourism and Trade until July 26, the initiative had to be temporary.
But the Damascus governorate has pledged to maintain the establishment, run by the NGO Jouzour, which provides help and psychological support to people with Down syndrome.
"This is the first coffee shop in the country. in Syria, "says Jouzour's director, Khouloud Rajab.
" Our goal is to train these young people and enable them to exploit their potential, while contributing to their social integration, "she says. 19659002] – "Educate the society" –
Trisomy 21 or Down's syndrome is a chromosomal abnormality that causes intellectual disabilities in particular among people with the disease. No curative treatment exists today
In a war-ravaged Syria since 2011, where all attention is focused on the victims of the conflict, Down syndrome is "one of the most vulnerable categories, but also the most vulnerable. more marginalized, "says Rajab
" This is a very important initiative for these young people, "says Ahmed Qatrib, an actor who came for a walk in Tichrine.
" They give us a lesson in tenacity, we must understand that they can be active in society ", continues the grizzled bearded black man with black hair
In Syria, as in other Arab countries, families often face stigmatization and ostracization of the mentally handicapped, while the psychological care that can benefit the patients and the initiatives facilitating their integration remain very limited.
"The most difficult thing is to push the society to the accesses pter ", confirms the young Chéhrazade Qounnou, employed in an NGO involved in the support of people suffering from this disease
Ghbadan Bouri does not hide his pride by watching his son Abdel Rahman work. He has been encouraging him to participate in various activities, such as music and drawing, in addition to various sports for eight years.
He believes that his son has a greater awareness of certain subjects les autres.
"Sometimes when you're in the street, a pbader-by throws a bottle on the ground, my son runs to ask him to put it in the garbage", says the 66-year-old silver-haired man. [19659002"It'sunfortunatethatchildrenwithDownsyndromestayathomebutweneedtoeducatesociety"
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