Buenos Aires, Argentina, Mar 21, 2017 / 11:32 am (CNA).- Mateo studied baking and Leandro pastry making. Franco and Mauricio wanted to be waiters. These overlapping interests led the four friends with Down syndrome to start a successful pizza service in Buenos Aires, Argentina.
With nearly 40,000 followers on Facebook, this group of friends held nearly 30 events in just their first two months. Wherever they are called, they always arrive with their own oven and outfits. The offer pizza and empanadas, and they even have a menu for those who are gluten intolerant.
Each one knows his role in the undertaking, which is coordinated by Leandro López, president of the Crecer Sumando (Growing Together) association, which is dedicated to serving young people with Down syndrome.
López told CNA that “the idea was to try to change a little bit the paradigm regarding persons with Down syndrome,” in order to help normalize their inclusion in society's workforce.
It all started in 2015, when López began working with efforts to help integrate Mauricio, Franco and Leandro into society.
“When that year was over, the guys were eager to work but there was this void.”
“In early 2016, when Mateo had already joined them, we began to work with their parents in the area of jobs, to see what kind of work they would like to do,” recalled the physical education teacher.
“One day I suggested cooking pizza, and I dove into the whole process, from buying all the materials to when we sat down at the table to eat,” López said.
The idea took off, and in June last year, the group began to work with the idea of having a pizza service whose name – “Los Perejiles” – was proposed by Leandro.
They had their first event on July 9. It became “a revolution on social media,” prompting them to “create an account, choose a logo and work on all their outfits.”
“They're my teachers and I'm learning with them what the needs are,” López said regarding managing the project.
“These young people can really be included in society, and they have a whole lot to teach us. I'm learning something new from them every day: the goodness of being human, the essence of the human being. There is no envy or selfishness among them, instead there is friendly collaboration.”
López said that “at present there are no real job opportunities for people with Downs” in Buenos Aires. There are several training schools, but the chances of graduates being able to move beyond them and find other jobs is low.
“It seems to me that we all have a right to two fundamental things, to life and be taken into account. These two premises can make a person live happily their whole life,” López said.
This article was originally published on CNA September 19, 2016.
....
You may also like:
The dignity of work – a company's quest for the mentally ill https://t.co/F71bFXeGYq #Colorado
— Catholic News Agency (@cnalive) February 23, 2016
Article Archive
These friends with Down syndrome are thriving in the Argentina pizza market
Related Articles • More Articles
Father Eduardo Chávez has been immersed in the study and dissemination of the message of the Virgin of Guadalupe for more than 40 years. / Credit: David Ramos/ACI PrensaACI Prensa Staff, May 14, 2024 / 15:52 pm (CNA).Father Eduardo Chávez, director of the Higher Institute of Guadalupan Studies and postulator of the cause for canonization of St. Juan Diego, was recently confirmed as "master Guadalupan theologian" by Cardinal Carlos Aguiar Retes, the primatial archbishop of Mexico.The decision was made May 9 in conjunction with the Chapter of the Basilica of Guadalupe in Mexico City, headed by its rector, Father Efraín Hernández.Chávez, who also holds a doctorate in Church history from the Pontifical Gregorian University of Rome, shared with ACI Prensa, CNA's Spanish-language news partner, his gratitude for this appointment, committing himself to "deepen knowledge of the Guadalupan event, to disseminate it throughout the world."Chávez noted that "the Virgin of Guadalupe places Je...
null / ShutterstockWashington, D.C. Newsroom, May 14, 2024 / 16:22 pm (CNA).An English pediatrician who led a comprehensive review of the safety and efficacy of prescribing transgender drugs to children is warning that health associations in the United States may be misleading the public.In an interview with the New York Times published on Monday, Dr. Hilary Cass warned there is no comprehensive evidence to support the routine prescription of transgender drugs to minors with gender dysphoria. Cass published the independent "Cass Review," commissioned by the National Health Service in England, which prompted England and Scotland to halt the prescription of transgender drugs to minors until more research is conducted.As England, Scotland, and other European countries scale back their use of transgender drugs for minors, most doctors' associations and health associations in the U.S. continue to endorse these medical inter...
Members of the Kappa Kappa Gamma sorority, biological women's sports activist Riley Gaines, and lawyers from the Independent Women's Law Center approach the 10th Circuit Courthouse in Denver on May 14, 2024. / Credit: Photo courtesy of Independent Women's ForumWashington, D.C. Newsroom, May 14, 2024 / 18:11 pm (CNA).Six members of Kappa Kappa Gamma at the University of Wyoming are suing their sorority for admitting a man who identifies as a woman.Represented by the Independent Women's Law Center (IWLC), the sisters argued their case before a three-judge panel of the 10th Circuit Court of Appeals in Denver on Tuesday. The women are alleging that the sorority's decision in fall 2022 to admit a man, Artemis Langford, violated its bylaws, which state that all members be women. The sisters have also said that Langford has harassed them in their sorority house by watching them change, taking photos, and asking "invasive" sexual questions. Allie Coghan, a Kappa Kappa Gamma a...