When AkshiNarmis Team Visited Sheroes Hangout Cafe

Sheroes Hangout is a cafe run by acid attack survivors that works for the sustainability of the survivors by providing them a mean of livelihood.

Not far from one of the seven wonders of the world, is another beautiful place in the land of Agra. Sheroes Hangout. Wonder what makes it unique? The fact that there are a bunch of people who have risen above "so called" social norms. And the fact that women have chosen to stand up for themselves despite the sufferings they have endured.

A Brief Background About Acid Attacks in India

In India, more than 500 acid attacks took place in 2015. While these are just the reported figures, many unreported attacks happen, both on men and women, especially in rural areas and people often try to hide the information.

After the efforts of Laxmi Agarwal (a survivor) and Alok Dixit (a social activist), the Supreme Court passed a law restricting the sale of acid in the country. The punishment for throwing acid on a face, as laid down by the Section 326A in the Indian Penal Code, is minimun 10 years of imprisonment. This can also be extended up to lifetime imprisonment along with fine.

And yet acid is easily and cheaply available for sale. And acid attacks are on the rise.

Sheroes Hangout

Founded in 2014, as a part of the stop acid attack campaign started by Alok Dixit and Ashish Shukla, the cafe has been a means to provide a way of life for several survivors. It started with the concept to bridge the gap between "survivors and society" and to put an end to the "taboo" created around these people.

An year ago before AkshiNarmis was launched, the team along with a group of friends got a chance to visit it. And while we had already heard lots of positive reviews about it, we had so much more to add.

The place itself is full of positive vibes and happy faces. You would always find them eager to serve and they happily pose for photographs and are ever ready to answer your queries. If you go during the off-peak hours, you would find them engaged in playing games to keep themselves happy. These women stand out by standing up for themselves and for each other.

And inspired by their work and strength, we had also written about it at several places. And had paid similar visits one after the other to have more idea about how they worked and functioned. And each time they were happy to serve us. Their enthusiasm is amazing!

Why AkshiNarmis Chose To Feature It

Sheroes Hangout is a social enterprise in the sense that it runs its business (cafe) and uses its profits for the benefit of the acid attack survivors (social) cause. Hence it qualifies our primary requirement of coverage.

Also, while it surely sets an example to several businesses out there, the figures are not that good. Sheroes Hangout doesn't have a price menu. The customers who visit are free to pay as per their will. And though once in a while they have celebrities who give good donations, most times they are short of funds to run the cafe.

The survivors there also keep looking for more ways to earn and sustain themselves. Hence while their model is a good one, it is not entirely sustainable and depends on a varied number of factors.

What You Can Do

There are many fancy places you choose to visit for your parties. Maybe on one such occasion, you could pay a visit to the Sheroes Hangout. It is a beautiful feeling - to contribute! They also have a cafe in Lucknow.

Or maybe you could be a volunteer and help them run their cafe, get more donations and promote their cause. And also share our page and spread the word!

If you wish to donate, you could do that directly on their website. And also write to us so that we know we succeeded in creating an impact!

As it is rightly said, “It's not how much we give but how much love we put into giving.” So if you are willing to contribute in any way, or know someone who can, please contact us.

We exist to empower NGOs. And you can help us do the same. Read about our other NGO stories, and write to us to feature another.