Go Grab Lunch At This Home Café Run By The Differently Abled

The Village House Café in Verna is a two-month-old café by NGO Atmavishwas. It’s got a tiny snacks menu (hello, toast, tuna and coffee) along with a popular lunch that’s put together and served lovingly by adults with mental disability. The café, though, is only one of the many things that keeps the residents busy. 

Liane has been a special educator for 12 years, and she wanted to find a way to tap into the skills of adults with mental disability by the way of offering vocational training. This translated into a bunch of activities that these special adults could partake in, like baking, embroidery, crafts and occasionally even tending to the organic garden they have in their backyard. Like we said, the new cafe is just one part of this larger cause. 

As luck would have it, we landed at The Village Cafe on an off day (it's open Tue-Sat between 12:30pm- 2pm) so we missed their mostly-Continental lunch of lasagne, pasta, roast chicken or rice with sauce. They switch up their menu every day so, you might find patties or samosas on one day and a completely different lunch on another. 

Not into food but wondering where and when you can buy all the cool stuff the NGO folks make (gift boxes, wall hangings, artworks, envelopes, cloth bags, diaries and more)? You’ll either have to call them and land up at their centre (Mon-Fri between 10am and 3pm) or wait for them to host their annual carnival in Nov or Dec (they announce it on their FB page, so keep an eye out). Meanwhile, grab a sandwich, will ya?

We were welcomed on an off day with open arms and a smiley Savio giving us cold coffee. Yes, we struggled with the internet on the day but hey, that’s not a complaint­ at all. We were on the contrary in awe of how smoothly the folks accommodated us as the students went about their daily training. 

Since most of their products are made from discarded materials, think before you throw things. Their tailoring and crafts wings could, in fact, find use for fabrics (old saris or bed sheets), greeting cards, papers and more that would have otherwise landed in your trash can.