Empowering Women and Strengthening Communities
Cafe Stepping Stone based in Canberra, and founded by Vanessa & Hannah, is more than just a cafe serving delicious vegetarian food and coffee. It is a social enterprise driving the initiative to provide employment and focused training for new migrant and refugee women struggling to find work. Moving to a new country is always challenging with limited support, language barriers and qualifications often not recognised. Through social enterprises such as Cafe Stepping Stone, the opportunity was provided to these women to gain meaningful skills and employment to assist them reach their future goals.
Background
Vanessa was born in Canberra into a family of migrants and had all the benefits of growing up in a loving family and a safe environment with quality education. She studied Latin American Studies at ANU, and as part of her degree, went on exchange to Colombia. That experience opened her eyes and sparked the idea for Café Stepping Stone. “A lot of my work has stemmed from recognising my own privilege and wanting to use it to create opportunities for people who are often left out”.
Inspiration to create Cafe Stepping Stone
While overseas, she came across a Work Integration Social Enterprise and saw firsthand how a café could be more than just a business; it could be a place for training, confidence, and change. Through her hospitality experience, it inspired her to take this model to Cartagena, a city with stark inequality. Upon her return to Australia, she realised migrant and refugee women were facing similar barriers to work, and her co-founder, Hannah and her adapted the idea to meet that need in Canberra.
The focus on migrant and refugee women
The purpose of focusing on migrant and refugee women was partly due to her family; when her grandmother migrated to Australia, she found it difficult to connect and find purpose outside of the home. When she returned to Canberra in 2020, those same barriers were still present, especially for refugee women. “In fact, today, only 39% of refugee women are in paid work even after 10 years of being here. These women are motivated and determined, but things like language, lack of local experience, or bias hold them back,” Vanessa explains. The determination to create a safe and supportive place where these women could grow, learn, and have their strengths recognised was important.
Impact of Cafe Stepping Stone
In the last five years, Cafe Stepping Stone has employed and trained more than 75 migrant and refugee women, and right now has 38 on their team. Just last year, they provided them with over $820,000 in wages and 23,000 hours of employment. Most of the women who join face multiple barriers, such as limited English, housing instability, low confidence, or the need for flexible hours around caring responsibilities. They prioritise those who would otherwise struggle to find paid work, let alone meaningful work.
One story shared was about Sakina. She fled persecution in Afghanistan and was separated from her husband for almost a decade before finally arriving in Canberra in 2019 with her three young daughters. She joined Cafe Stepping Stone in 2020 with little English, but a strong determination to work and learn.
Over the past five years, she’s grown into one of their chefs, participating in
catering events, sharing her recipes with customers and speaking confidently in English. Just last month, Sakina was proud to become an Australian.
“Her teenage daughter also worked with us during Sakina’s maternity leave and is now studying law while working in mainstream employment. Sakina’s journey shows the ripple effect, stability for her family, inspiration for her children, and leadership in her community. That’s the power of social enterprise; it starts with individuals, but the impact multiplies,” Vanessa says.
Challenges of running a cafe with a social purpose
Running a cafe with a social purpose is no easy feat. The challenge of balancing finances, providing the time and training to women who have faced trauma, adds to the challenge. The diversity welcomed into the cafe brings a level of complexity as staff are from a variety of backgrounds, with different levels of experience, formal education, cultures and languages. That diversity makes the
organisation rich, but creating a standardised training program isn’t easy; hence, everything they do is very bespoke and individualised.
The overall journey to see someone grow in confidence, find their voice, and move into their next opportunity is rewarding and makes the experience worthwhile for Vanessa and Hannah. Being a cafe their customers and supporters are also able to actively participate in that journey and be able
to see the difference they are making.
Another challenge faced by Cafe Stepping Stone is having to advocate for funding to cover their impact costs. “We cover 75% of our costs through the sales of the business, but we still need an additional 25% for the side-by-side support, training, additional facilities we require etc. without this, the social impact suffers” Vanessa explains.
Biggest impact for these women
“Paid employment is powerful; receiving their own payslip and gaining financial independence is so important, but it’s often the small things that make the biggest difference”, Vanessa states. Their management team are hands-on, with one-on-one check-ins with staff, adapting their roster to
their needs, training them in areas they are passionate and interested in, mentoring them, and constantly providing positive feedback. This all takes time and patience, but the overall work to increase their staff’s confidence is all worth it. The community plays a huge role when customers come in and share a meal; they’re not just supporting a café but sending a message to the women that they are valued and belong here.
Public Support
The simplest way for the public to support such a great cause is to visit their cafe. Through the purchase of every coffee or meal, it helps create more opportunities. Beyond that, sharing their story, bringing friends and family, or booking the café for events. Volunteering to share knowledge and skills with their team, participating in their English Conversation Club. “For those wanting to do more, donations or partnerships allow us to grow our training programs and support even more women” Vanessa says.
Being recognised as the 2025 Australian of the Year Local Hero Award
The Australian of the Year Local Hero Award recognises everyday Australians for their outstanding contributions to their local communities. This acknowledges individuals who make a positive impact and foster a more inclusive Australia.
“It’s incredibly humbling. We never expected to win at the ACT level, let alone the National award so it was a huge shock and it felt very surreal for a few months. It was a reminder that you never know what the future holds. To us, this award feels less like recognition of us and more like recognition of the women we work with, and the community that stands behind them” Vanessa
exclaimed.
Immigration and resilience
Vanessa shares the constant awe of her team, most of whom have faced extreme hardship, but still show up every day, demonstrating resilience. Starting over in a new country is never easy and with language barriers, understanding different cultures, or facing racism and discrimination takes
immense courage. When people are welcomed and included, they can thrive and this flows onto workplaces, communities, and the whole society. We are all much more resilient for having unique stories and identities through immigration.
Final thoughts
Vanessa and Hannah would like to provide a big thank you to their staff, customers, and the wider community who’ve supported them. “Every coffee or meal at Café Stepping Stone is more than a purchase; it’s an investment in someone’s future. If you’re not in Canberra, I’d encourage you to support a social enterprise in your own community”.
Head on over to @cafesteppingstone on Instagram to follow along and support their journey. If you’re ever in Canberra, why not visit their cafe located in Strathnairn or Dickson.
Supporting a social enterprise making a real difference, assisting those who need a helping hand is invaluable.