Fairplay café has opened in Szombathely
08/10/2018
Author: Rita Gombás, Municipality of Szombathely
A Fairplay Café has recently opened in Szombathely. It is not big news on its own as catering establishments open and close one after the other in the city centre. A peculiarity of this café is that it is run by the caritas of the diocese.
It may sound weird first as it is not the task of a charity organisation to run a catering establishment. However, it will be understandable if we look behind the facts. The European Union supports the creation of public spaces with numerous calls. The Fairplay Café will be such a public space where coexistence in society should be improved via community development. At the same time, the café undertakes specific aid. The instrument for assistance is coffee that arrives from Africa. Those who visit the place support the population of the Dark Continent - the ones who produce coffee - with the price of the delicious black drink.
Fairplay is also demonstrated by the staff as well: the personnel consists of young people taking up their career and disadvantaged employees who are in touch with the caritas of the diocese. To help them is also an objective. To the mission of the café belongs furthermore the support of the youth of the Diocese of Szombathely through organising programmes for them here. The café serves as a meeting point where the youth can realise that they must express solidarity with the indigent. We can be also part of St. Martin’s intangible heritage even existing today and the beneficial effect of solidarity and humanity in Szombathely if we pop in to the Fairplay café for a cup of fragrant coffee
