{"id":154741,"date":"2023-05-15T15:12:28","date_gmt":"2023-05-15T13:12:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.erasmusmagazine.nl\/en\/?p=154741"},"modified":"2025-12-19T11:26:47","modified_gmt":"2025-12-19T10:26:47","slug":"happietaria-2023-a-bite-to-eat-for-a-good-cause","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.erasmusmagazine.nl\/en\/2023\/05\/15\/happietaria-2023-a-bite-to-eat-for-a-good-cause\/","title":{"rendered":"Happietaria 2023: A bite to eat for a good cause"},"content":{"rendered":"

Students in Rotterdam have gathered for their annual charity-based restaurant venture: Happietaria. This year, all the proceedings will be donated to combat human trafficking in Nepal. The doors of Happietaria are open from 22 April to 20 May.<\/p>\n

\"Happietaria

Customers enjoying their stay in the former Caf\u00e9 Sfinx, now the home of Happietaria.<\/span><\/p>

\n\t\n\n<\/svg>\n<\/span>\n\tImage by:<\/span>\n\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\tFemke Legu\u00e9<\/a>\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>

\u201cOut of all the charities we considered, Nepal spoke to us the most\u201d, said Vivian Treurniet (20), student of Pedagogical Sciences at EUR and coordinator of Happietaria. As a result of extreme poverty, human trafficking of women and children is a major problem in the Asian country. \u201cA lot of men there go to work for many hours, leaving their wives and children in an unprotected and vulnerable position\u201d, Vivian explains.<\/p>\n

The restaurant aims to raise money along with its partner organisation Tearfund, to improve the economic situation of those who are defenseless to forced prostitution or labour.<\/p>\n

A student-run success<\/h2>

Happietaria is run by seven board members, who are all students from different schools and universities around Rotterdam. The venture works with volunteers: \u201cAnyone is welcome to help\u201d, says Vivian. Everything is still fully student-operated: \u201cThe kitchen committee are all students, and they know really well how to cook the dishes, this month we\u2019re serving some Nepalese food too\u201d, referring to the Nepalese lentil soup, dumplings and curry on their menu, which are all fresh and homemade.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re open from Monday to Saturday, and I\u2019m there three or four times a week\u201d, says Vivian. \u201cIt\u2019s quite a lot of work but very fun, we have a really fun team.\u201d The team started the preparations in September, and divided the tasks among each other with the volunteers. \u201cThere are no paid employees\u201d, says Vivian.<\/p>\n

Raising awareness<\/h2>
\"Happietaria\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t<\/svg>\n\t\t<\/button>

The entrance of Happietaria at the Samuel Mullerplein.<\/span><\/p>

\n\t\n\n<\/svg>\n<\/span>\n\tImage by:<\/span>\n\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\tFemke Legu\u00e9<\/a>\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>

The restaurant which is open only for a month every year, gathered immense support and participation from customers. Vivian: \u201cSome days all of our tables are full.\u201d Most of these customers know about the cause, but some are not aware: \u201cWe do get a lot of people who are just passing by as they\u2019re walking around the neighborhood and decide to grab a bite.\u201d In such cases, the team explains to the customers where their money is going to, and sometimes receives additional donations. \u201cThe main goal here is to raise awareness\u201d, Vivian says. Happietaria is open until 20 May.<\/p>\n

Happietaria<\/a> is located in Samuel Mullerplein 19A.<\/p>\n\n\t

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