Inclusive enterprises

Hong Kong's inclusive spirit and appetite for empathy have inspired a growing wave of socially conscious cafes.

Museum Café 8, run by the Nesbitt Centre, employs individuals with learning disabilities. Melody De Leon, who manages the cafe, says, "Our staff members arrive early and wait outside even before our doors open. For them, this is more than just a job. It's about dignity."

Greig Carruthers, an assistant at the cafe, has spent nearly a decade working at the Nesbitt Centre's different outposts. "I want to stay here forever," he says with a wide smile. "Here I feel useful and respected."

New employees joining the cafe are given a choice in terms of the skills they are interested in acquiring and encouraged to learn at their own pace. "Some start by clearing tables," says De Leon. "A few months later, they're making sandwiches or pulling espresso shots."

Quality control is strictly adhered to. "If you're going to include neurodiverse staff, the quality of the coffee has to be as good as anywhere else," says Surinder Punjya, executive director of the Nesbitt Centre. "You can't ask people to support the mission unless the product holds up."

The enterprise receives financial support via the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region government's Enhancing Employment of People with Disabilities through Small Enterprise program. Punjya insists that doubts about the employability of disabled people are baseless. "Employers still fear that hiring disabled people might lead to workplace accidents, but these concerns are largely unfounded," he says. "In reality, neurodivergent individuals often demonstrate extraordinary reliability and motivation - when given the chance."