Originally posted by the Voice of America.
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Washington Shop Sells $3 Falafels to Feed Refugees

by June Soh

   Customers are waiting in line at Falafel, Inc. when the tiny shop opens
   at noon. Mostly young, they are in search of inexpensive food to fill
   their hunger. But they also are making a social statement.

   Falafel, Inc. is nestled in Georgetown, one of the poshest
   neighborhoods in Washington, D.C. Yet at lunchtime on a weekday, the
   74-square-meter shop is bustling as employees assemble falafel
   sandwiches and bowls for the area office workers who crowd the
   premises.

   The food is good. And cheap -- $3.00 for a falafel sandwich and only
   $4.00 for the most expensive thing on the menu. But the falafels, fried
   dough made from beans, and their price aren't all that draw patrons.

   "I think what they are doing with refugees is a very good cause and I
   support it," says Nick Wright as he waits to place his order.

   "The food is delicious and hearing about the owner's story before we
   went in was really inspiring," added customer Roland Spier. "And I
   think it makes the food all that more enjoyable."

   For every $10 that Falafel, Inc. makes, owner Ahmad Ashkar donates a
   day's worth of food for a refugee, about 50 cents, to the U.N. World
   Food Program (WFP). And that amounts to more than you might think on
   sales of $3.00 falafel sandwiches. Since the shop opened in mid-May,
   Ashkar has donated enough to feed almost 10,000 refugees, about $1,000
   a week.

   Refugee food

   "There's many ways we could have decided to help refugees," Askar told
   VOA. "We chose falafel for two reasons. One, because falafel stands are
   prevalent around refugee camps around the world; actually the main food
   in most refugee camps, because it's so cheap, and it's affordable, and
   it's highly nutritious. Second is my personal love and passion for
   falafel."

   Ashkar grew up on the food, cooked by his Palestinian mother; the
   recipes in the shop are all hers.

   In addition to the falafel shop, he is CEO and founder of the Hult
   Prize Foundation, which awards annual prizes to student entrepreneurs
   to launch socially oriented startups. The prize is backed by the Bill
   Clinton Foundation and has awarded $1-million prizes every year since
   2010.

   Ashkar, who was named "Entrepreneur of the Year" by Esquire Magazine
   last year, knows that his business cannot do good in the world if it is
   not financially sustainable.

   "We do anywhere from 600 to 800 guests every single day," he said. "And
   so long as those guests are buying things like sides and drinks and
   spending more than just the money on the sandwich, we are able to
   sustain our business."

   Worldwide falafel

   Every Sunday, when Askar totals up his weekly earnings, he makes a
   donation to the WFP via the ShareTheMeal app, but he dreams of
   establishing his own foundation and targeting his donations more
   closely.

   He wants to open falafel shops around the world, and Askar already is
   in talks with several franchisees in cities around the world. If he can
   open 100 franchises, he can feed 1 million refugees a year.

   Ashkar says the simple nature of the business makes it possible. Each
   shop, mimicking a refugee camp stall, requires just a small space for a
   kitchen with a fryer and oven.

   And he wants to do more for refugees than feed them. He also wants to
   employ them.

   "Every one of our units can employ up to 12 refugees," he said, "and
   we're looking at a place where the refugee can actually become, after
   24 months of employment, an actual owner of the stores themselves."

   He is not worried about having enough mouths to feed or refugees to
   employ. "Every day we've seen more and more refugees," he noted.

   The U.N. Refugee Agency (UNHCR) reported in March that as of mid-2016,
   there were 16.5 million refugees globally, 5 million more than in
   mid-2013. More than 30 percent came from Syria.

   "What we're doing here at Falafel Inc. is trying to provide a solution
   at the very starting point of the crisis," Askar said, "because we do
   believe that it's going to get worse before it gets better."