A not-for-profit cafe in West Ealing is using National Inclusion Week (15 to 21 September 2025) to showcase the power of community and workplace diversity.
Mahaba Cafe, based on Singapore Road, trains and employs young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND), offering them a pathway into paid work while creating a welcoming local hub.
This week, learners and graduates from the cafe are taking up work placements at businesses across Ealing including Juniper, Reineta, Young’s Pubs (The New Inn) and GAIL’s. The cafe is also unveiling two new initiatives: a free-or-donate community library and a Chatty Cafe table designed to combat loneliness and foster friendship.
Visitors will also find a new exhibition by local artist Riley Clifton, with prints on sale, and are invited to an Open House on Tuesday 16 September offering free juice and biscuits alongside a chance to meet the cafe’s trainees and staff.
Mahaba Cafe founder Muriel Morgan Walckiers, said: “National Inclusion Week is about showing what inclusion looks like in practice. At Mahaba Cafe, young people with SEND are gaining skills, confidence, and opportunities that transform lives. We’re proud to be part of Ealing’s inclusive community.”
Since opening, Mahaba has supported 36 graduates and delivered more than 2,600 hours of training, with 60% of graduates moving into paid jobs. This comes against the backdrop of just 2.2% of adults with learning disabilities in Ealing being in employment, compared with 7% across London.
Dele Ryder, partnership and fundraising manager for A2Dominion, said Mahaba’s transformation of the Green Man Lane community facility into “a thriving education, training, and community hub has been remarkable”.
