Sign Language Cafe

The Sign Language Cafe is proudly run by several of Amal's deaf as well as hearing graduates. Located inside the Center for Language and Culture, the cafe serves the student population of 3,500 students of all ages. It is a ground-breaking project in Marrakesh where resources and opportunities for the deaf are very limited.
“I learned how to talk and respect everyone. I learned how to work and to be patient so I can achieve my goals. Now that I am working, I realized that everything I learned in the kitchen and through the life skills classes helped me to gain confidence and to move beyond Amal because once you get a job, you have to prove yourself as you're not a victim but an employee and Amal taught me how to navigate.”
Fatiha
Amal's Trainee
What is it?

The only deaf-run cafe in Marrakech

Although our cafe is still small, we are excited to showcase the abilities of our deaf graduates and create bridges between the deaf and hearing communities. We hope to grow this endeavor to create even more opportunities for the deaf. The cafe is currently run by Saida and Soukaina, who are deaf, and Bouchra who is hearing and can sign very well, as well as most, recently, Sanaa who is learning sign language asap.

Why

Everyone deserves a chance

In 2018, Amal first began to accept deaf women into the training program. Several of our staff members learned Moroccan Sign Language to communicate with them and convey the training. It was a beautiful experience. However, when the students graduated, we could not find any employer in Marrakesh willing to take the chance on hiring them. The obstacle of communicating with a deaf person seemed too high. That's when we had the idea of creating our own cafe for the students to work at. Working in collaboration with the Center for Language and Culture, the Sign Language Cafe was born. Today, it is a happy, thriving place where students hang out and even learn a few signs to communicate with the deaf staff.
Empowering Jobs

The deaf staff at the Cafe are proud to be part of the community and to have a stable job and steady income.

Sign Language Classes

We run Moroccan Sign Language courses to create more bridges between deaf and hearing communities.

Model Social Enterprise

We hope our experience encourages others in Morocco to come up with innovative social enterprises to empower the deaf community.

Student Hangout

The Cafe is a great place to hang out, study, and enjoy delicious home-made goodies!

Amal Center is a non-profit organization that supports courageous women on their journey towards empowerment and financial independence.
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The TrainingThe RestaurantThe Cooking ClassThe CateringSign Language Cafe

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