CAFFÈ AGONISTA

In 2018, Wassim El Hage, until then a physiotherapist in a center that also treated many young people with disabilities, decided to develop in a new way (and absolutely unprecedented for Lebanon) his sensitivity toward young people with “special needs”: he opened a café, Il Caffè Agonista, where he employed some young people with disabilities. Among them were George Gergi, who has Down syndrome, and Farah Ballout, a young woman with autism. The experiment worked: the young people worked well and were happy, and in 2021 Wassim was able to open another Agonista in a shopping mall.

Meanwhile, WIP was born, and in Beirut the applications of aspiring entrepreneurs began to be reviewed. Among them were Farah and George who, energized by the Agonista experience, asked to open a place of their own. Extraordinary in their enthusiasm and diligence, the two, however, did not have the ability to manage the financial side of the project. But the WIP staff had an idea: to support the Agonista project by proposing to Wassim that George and Farah become partners, with a total stake of 30 percent.

The owner accepted with enthusiasm, and from November 2023 his business was able to count on the support of WIP, which by then had reached its second edition. However, the situation in Lebanon deteriorated, and bombings forced Wassim to close.

In January 2025, the reopening of the historic location was recorded, but this could not erase the many problems that Beirut’s reality poses daily. Nevertheless, Agonista strives to endure, continuing its catering service and considering the possibility of a new, less costly location.