This year's general meeting of the Steps for Children e.V. support association, to which guests were also very welcome, was characterised by many exciting insights into our work on the ground. Over 60 committed members, supporters and interested parties came together to talk to each other, exchange ideas and reflect on the developments of the past year.
The board election of the Friends' Association took place this year. We are delighted to announce that Andreas Roß has been elected as the new Chairman of the Steps for Children e.V. association. Dr Michael Hoppe takes over as Deputy Chairman and Mechtild Wigger was re-elected as Treasurer.
The presentations by our supporters were particularly enriching: Ambassador couple Sabine and Dr Hans-Christian Schröder, as well as former volunteers Emilie Seibold, Hanna Schwarz and Amandus Mechelk, gave lively accounts of their experiences in Namibia. We were also able to show a film with Ripura Hewicke, our garden manager, who took us to the agricultural project in Ongombombonde.
Thank you very much for sharing your experiences!
It was a successful evening that not only provided information, but also touched people and encouraged them to think further together.
Our Christmas wish tree was a small but eye-catching feature: lovingly decorated, it created a festive atmosphere and showed how many people are willing to support children in our education centres. Many participants also took the opportunity to take small gift donations from the wish tree for friends and family or purchased handmade products from the steps sewing workshop in Okakarara. And we can already reveal: A new product will be added next year - stay tuned!
We would like to express our sincere thanks to our volunteer supporters Janina Tege, Katrin Meier, Federica Gatto, Carina Marxsen, Anton Ratgeb and Tews Koll as well as Hanno Hafkemeyer as a member of the Board of Trustees, who thought along, helped and helped to organise the evening so wonderfully. We would also like to thank all participants - both online and in person - for coming! It was an inspiring and hopeful sign of what we can achieve together.
With this positive energy, we are looking forward to a special year in 2026: steps for children is celebrating its 20th anniversary - two decades of commitment in Namibia, encounters, challenges and progress. We look forward to shaping this important year together with you!
