Freedom is inspiring!

 “Our experience is being used by colleagues in other city of Kazakhstan. Negotiations are underway to open similar cafes in Kostanai, Astana, and Kyzylorda. There are even plans to open a ‘Training Café’ in Dushanbe”.

“We become different people, we learn to talk with people, and to independently solve problems – and it’s so inspiring!”.

“Our eyes our afraid, but our hands are brave” our ancestors used to say. We were afraid, we had doubts, some people tried to talk us out of it, but…but we tried anyway, understanding, that all we had to lose was hope. And today, Kazakhstanis have the opportunity to visit the Training Café in Almaty. The goal is inclusion and integration for people with special needs in our community through social entrepreneurship. The café was created with the support of Soros Foundation Kazakhstan, EFCA, active citizens, and volunteers.

Gulnar Sagiyeva, who has mental disabilities, is an employee at the ‘Training Café’: “Young people with mental health issues from the group home work and communicate with you at the “Training Café’. I came to the café as assistant to the chef. When I first came, I was worried and thought that people would laugh at me, saying that I had psychiatric issues. We all had this same fear, all of us who worked here, as before we all lived in the four walls of a specialized group home for people with psycho-neurological illnesses (it even sounds scary!). We remember how people came to the café but didn’t order anything – they just came to observe the situation. But the next day they returned and tried our food.

For all the time that we’ve lived in the group home, we didn’t go anywhere – many of us had never taken public transportation, or gone to a store. We didn’t even know how to behave in public in front of typical people, and it was very hard for us to imagine life outside of our group home.

Since coming to the ‘Training Café’, our lives have completely changed. This is thanks to the work of the psychologists who work diligently with each of us. They taught us to accept ourselves for who we are. My friend Zhyldyz at 25 years old began to work as a waitress. Now she’s the administrator of the café.

Our friend Kairat found a long-awaited adopted family. And Aksaule started a family of her own.

Now I am the head of dumpling production at the ‘Training Café’. We make pelmeni and manti. I also teach others to make pelmeni and manti correctly. We make three types of manti, and the most popular right now is manti called ‘Gulkhanym’. Many people love them!

It’s only been a short time, but there have already been so many positive changes in our lives! It is happiness just to get ready to go to work! We’ve learned many new things: how to go to the store and buy different things, how to speak at international conferences. Today I’ve left my doubts and fears behind. Gradually I’m gaining confidence in myself. And it’s fantastic!”

“Training Café” opened one year ago, and currently employs 40 young people with mental impairments. Public organization PA trained 75 specialists and more than 40 volunteers who worked with people with special needs. The ‘Training Café’ has certainly gained the love of residents of Almaty, who support the workers, attend the café regularly, and provide additional financial and moral support.

We’ve also become volunteers and founders of a new project. On the foundations of the ‘Training Café’ we started a project called ‘Free Lunch’ for elderly people in need. Sometimes I even take on the role of psychologist, and hold meetings with our elderly beneficiaries.

A similar project was recently launched in Aktau. Kairat Rysbekov, director of Center ‘Zhanga-Serpin’ opened a similar café. 

“We’ve won social project competitions: we took first place in Almaty and second place in Kazakhstan. One of the biggest successes on our team has been the support of the akim of Almaty! On June 24, 2016, we attended a meeting with the akim of the city of Almaty, Baurzhan Baibek, and he gave us a space to open a second café in the Alatau district of the city of Almaty, with governance rights for 5 years. We agreed that once we finish renovations and finally open our doors, the akim will be the first to come and each lunch,” said Anna Kudiyarova, director of the Psychoanalytical Association, and author and head of the project.

The project “From Segregation to a Place in Society”, implemented at the “Training Café”, is implemented by the Psychoanalytical Association of Kazakhstan. Within the framework of USAID’s GGIF, the association developed a model for the opening of a ‘Training Café’, conducted trainings, seminars, and public hearings with key stakeholder groups, including government agencies, NGOs and other partners, and made proposals to the Ministry of Public Health and Social Development of Kazakhstan on relevant regulations. The project received the support of government agencies in the city of Almaty. The project also supports the development of a ‘Training Café’ network across Central Asia, to provide social engagement opportunities for people with mental health issues and support job creation. 

President of Puplic Organization "Psychoanalytic Association", A. Kudiyarova.