In Riga, nearby Aleksandra Čaka iela and Bruņineku iela road junction, there is a special cafe named “RB Café” - a place which offers a wide variety of pastries, coffee, as well as delivers and serves coffee breaks. With the support of EU funds, the social enterprise “RB Café” provides an opportunity for people with special needs to work in the café by implementing a project in a programme developed by the Ministry of Welfare that promotes employment opportunities for disadvantaged people.
“RB Café” is the first café in the Baltics, where most of the staff are people with disabilities. The primary objective of “RB Café” is to integrate people with disabilities into the Latvian labour market by undermining historical myths and stereotypes. The company's origins can be traced back to the organization "Rīgas pilsētas „Rūpju bērns””, founded by Maris Gravis, where young people with disabilities from the day-care centre "Cerību Ligzda" prepared various pastries, offering coffee breaks and small banquets. Because of this, young people were able to get practical skills and knowledge, to continue working in the RB Cafe pastry shop and create a special environment open to diversity, where everyone feels at home.
The social enterprise has been granted a funding of 107 816 euros to enable people with disabilities to work and develop skills.
The aim of the EU Fund programme „Support for Social Entrepeneurship”, developed by the Ministry of Welfare, is to promote the development of social entrepreneurship and increase employment opportunities, especially for groups at risk of social exclusion. The projects are implemented together with a cooperation partner - JSC Development Finance Institution ALTUM.
