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 election of the support association’s board took place this year. We are very pleased to announce that Andreas Roß was elected as the new Chair of the support association Steps for Children e.V. Dr. Michael Hoppe takes over as Deputy Chair, and Mechtild Wigger was re-elected as Treasurer.
Our supporters’ presentations were particularly enriching: Ambassadorial couple Sabine and Dr. Hans-Christian Schröder, as well as former volunteers Emilie Seibold, Hanna Schwarz and Amandus Mechelk, gave vivid accounts of their experiences in Namibia. We were also able to screen a film featuring Ripura Hewicke, our garden manager, who took us into the agricultural project in Ongombombonde.
We would like to sincerely thank you 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 extend our heartfelt 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 contributed their ideas, lent a hand and made the evening such a wonderful event. We would also like to sincerely thank all participants – both online and attending in person – for joining us! It was an inspiring and hopeful sign of what we can achieve together.
With this positive energy, we look forward to a special year 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 significant year together with you!
