Intern Luise at steps for children

I am Luise Schrei and completed a three-month internship at steps for children. I passed my Abitur in the summer and then spent several months travelling with a tent and backpack – mainly hitchhiking. During this time, I was able to explore particularly the southern and eastern parts of Europe. On my journey, I encountered a great deal of poverty and experienced it at close quarters, but above all I learned that everywhere, even in very poor areas, there are warm-hearted, helpful and cheerful people. I was particularly affected by an encounter with two street children who were standing in the middle of a four-lane road in front of a traffic light on a narrow concrete strip, begging passing cars for food and money. The girl and the boy were about 6 years old, and their clothes, faces and hair were grey with dust from the road. When I walked past them, they stopped what they were doing and simply looked at me in surprise. I stopped, waved to them, rummaged through my backpack for my provisions, and the girl came running across the road to me. When I gave her a handful of sweets and two apples, she began to beam and immediately put a lollipop in her mouth. The girl followed us for a little while longer, then ran back to the narrow concrete traffic island, and she and the boy watched us go for a long time.

How I came to steps

With these moving experiences in my heart and the knowledge that there are places where poverty is even greater, I returned. So I looked for a way to give children in similar circumstances a chance and to do more to help them in the long term. That is how I came to steps for children, whose very aim is to do just that. The people who support steps devote every hour to giving another child a chance.

At steps, I learned how much work and dedication it takes to acquire donations and retain donors. But I also learned how much an individual donation can achieve, because the commitment of the people on the ground – the Namibian project managers, teachers, educational professionals and cooks – to the children in their care is enormous, even though they often have very little compared to us. 

I was at the steps office in Hamburg-Barmbek three days a week each, and through team meetings, many detailed explanations and my own tasks I gained a full insight into foundation work. I helped with various activities such as writing impact reports or an application, but I also experienced how much work goes into a newsletter and social media design.

I also gained experience in the area of International Cooperation, for example by creating project management tools for Namibian staff. In the process, the many connections gradually became clear to me, for which the many patient explanations of the background to my respective tasks were wonderful. 

What I particularly liked was that, thanks to the small team and the regular team meeting, I could take part in or get to know every area and could also contribute my own ideas and implement them after consultation. I was warmly welcomed into the small team from the very beginning and learned a great deal specific to the field as well as for life.

Dear Luise, we would like to thank you from the bottom of our hearts for your work with us. You not only supported us, but also fundamentally shaped several areas – with your inspiration, your energetic, active nature and your openness to topics related to steps! We wish you a wonderful time with new goals and challenges and hope to see you back on our volunteer team soon.