Sheroes Hangout Café downed the shutters on Monday in the Taj city as fallout of the Covid-19 pandemic. The café was running with adversely affected revenue generation for the past year and also was leaving the acid attack survivors vulnerable to coronavirus infection, stated Ashish Shukla, the co-founder of Sheroes Hangout Café.
“Sheroes Hangout Café was closed during the lockdown in the year 2020 and opened after the lockdown ended. However, the inflow of guests remained affected all through the past year making the revenue model adversely affected,” he said.
The café was shifted to a new building last year.
“It was getting tough to bear the operational cost which was generated from Café itself. For the last one year, the donations too had fallen, and lesser guests were turning up thus, the decision was taken to shut down the café for at least ten days,” he said.
“After ten days we would review the situation and will make the decision accordingly,” said Ashish Shukla who is also director of ‘Chhanv Foundation’, the organization that brought the idea of running the Sheroes Hangout Café as a reality beginning from Agra in the year 2014.
The Sheroes Hangout Café is run by acid attack fighters who decided to stand on their own and work at the café and run it on earning it makes. Many VVIP’s and celebrities have visited the café which was inaugurated on December 10, 2014.
{{/usCountry}}The Sheroes Hangout Café is run by acid attack fighters who decided to stand on their own and work at the café and run it on earning it makes. Many VVIP’s and celebrities have visited the café which was inaugurated on December 10, 2014.
{{/usCountry}}“However, we would continue with skill management and computer training for these acid attack fighters. The classes for this would continue online,” said Shukla.
Another reason for bringing the Sheroes Hangout Café to closure is the reality that half a dozen acid attack fighters running the Café in Agra were also vulnerable to Covid-19 infection more so after going through so many surgeries after an acid attack, these fighters remain prone to the threat of Covid infection.
“We are hopeful that the café would not turn the story of past and we aim at reviving activities in better times ahead,” said Ashish Shukla.