Agency: The Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) plans to start a restaurant and a cafe run by people with disabilities in Taba, Thimphu under the JICA Partnership scheme with BUSSIEN as a partner and with a Bhutanese counterpart.
One of the potential challenges may be the immediate start of the construction of the project due to the construction regulations in the country right now.
This cafe and restaurant mainly aims to create job opportunities for people with disabilities and create a place where anyone is welcome.
Such facilities are already available in Japan, known as Gochamaze, which is directly translated as jumble or mixed.
Yohei Nuruki of JICA said, “The main aim of this project is to create a more inclusive society and more opportunities for people with disabilities.”
JICA has planned out a budget of Nu 52.6 million for this project.
Experts from Japan have already visited the country in July and September this year and are going to visit regularly in the future. Two of them are long-term experts and are currently living here, surveying the site. The experts have estimated that it will take approximately 4 years to be completed after the construction kicks off.
They are in cooperation with the Bhutanese organization and the project is yet to be finalized. JICA and BUSSIEN are working together on a daily basis for the finalization of the project.
According to JICA, Japanese architects working on this project will be aligning the design with traditional Bhutanese styles and following the rules for construction as per the country’s regulations.
Chefs and baristas will be coming from Japan to train the workers in the cafe. The training and construction will be taking place simultaneously.