Our vision

WE LIVE OUR VISION

We empower children and young adults in Southern Africa, to break the cycle of poverty by their own efforts through education and training. We create income opportunities that secure people's livelihoods in the long term. Our vision is to become independent of donations in the long term.

WE LIVE OUR MISSION

Our work is based on entrepreneurial thinking and acting. We support and strengthen awareness in the local community for a self-determined way of life. At our locations in southern Africa, we are anchored in the poorest regions. One focus is on facilities for the education and training of children, young people and adults. We give orphans and families affected by poverty access to education, nutrition and medical care.
 
As a Social Entrepreneurs we set up small businesses, create jobs and train our employees. The surpluses generated go to our facilities and finance their activities. Our long-term goal is to become less dependent on donations.
We create one social return through improvements in the lives of local people. We support them to develop skills to meet their challenges and effect change.

Education

steps promotes education - that opens up perspectives!
We give children and young adults in Namibia and Zimbabwe a future through education and training and enable them to break the poverty cycle on their own.

Income

steps creates jobs - that generates income!
Newly created jobs in small businesses founded by steps help people in their own country to generate income and thus offer independence and prospects for staying. This is how social participation is promoted. We give people back their dignity by no longer depending on alms from others.

independence

Our goal - to become independent of donations in the long term!
The foundation comes closer to this goal by founding its own small businesses and by renting out real estate. With their surpluses, small businesses already cover part of the costs of social projects.

True to the promise the UN Agenda 2030 "Nobody shall be left behind." , we are committed to realizing the following Sustainable Development Goals:
 
  • 1. No poverty
  • 2. No hunger
  • 3. Health and Welfare
  • 4. Quality education
  • 6. Clean water and sanitation
  • 8. Decent Work

We support and strengthen awareness in the local community for a self-determined way of life through access to education, healthy nutrition and medical care. As social entrepreneurs, we set up small businesses and have already created over 60 jobs. The surpluses generated go to our facilities and finance their activities. Our long-term goal is to become less dependent on donations. The majority of our employees receive regular further training and thus improve their own level of education as well as their income.

Neither skin color nor gender, neither religion, tribe or caste nor nationality have any influence on the selection of our cooperation partners and the implementation of our activities. Our actions are characterized by awareness, honesty, love and respect for human dignity. For us, sustainable support also means appreciating and including the respective local culture, highlighting and preserving tradition, using resources sparingly and living in harmony with nature.

We enable children in the disadvantaged countries of the South to successfully exercise their right to development and education. They should be strengthened in order to be able to break the cycle of poverty on their own. We support and accompany them on their way to a higher educational qualification. This should give them the opportunity to work in a paid profession and to take care of themselves and others independently. Later they should be able to make a sustainable contribution to the development of their country themselves. We offer the children a balanced diet, a safe environment and loving attention, medical care and school success-enhancing educational support.
Education and knowledge can no longer be taken away from you. They enable people to plan and shape their future and strengthen their resilience to crises. In addition, our educational offers by small companies are designed to last. The aim is independence from donations. This "Help for self-help” includes, in addition to access to education and investments, the promotion of entrepreneurial thinking and acting, which is not based on maximizing profits but on responsibility and self-efficacy. We support ways to self-employment or qualified employment. We prefer to use local employees for the tasks in our facilities and thus provide them with an income and training opportunities. We ebolden to learn how to improve the quality of life by acting in a socially and ecologically responsible manner.
We create a social return by making a significant difference in the lives of local people. We support them to develop skills to meet their challenges and effect change. Both in terms of education and health, but also by:
  • extensive avoidance of early pregnancies
  • lessern Alcohol consumption
  • more equality
  • Avoiding Discrimination
  • prospects to stay
  • empowering the community
Our local partners have precise local knowledge and contacts or are able to create these contacts independently. They know the national laws, know the rights to which those affected are entitled, speak the predominant national languages ​​and are able to build trust in the population. They are proactive, make suggestions of their own accord, are independent in their thinking and actions. We offer all employees opportunities for ongoing professional development. We work with them Clocal communities together by Partnerships with other, comparable institutions.
We are in constant exchange of information with a lot of facilities in southern Africa and regularly visit them several times a year. Our activities are subject to regular quality checks and controls by our foundation board and recognized auditors in Namibia and Germany. 
We work with our partners, the communities and our networks in mutual respect and on an equal footing and create a confidential framework. The variety of found solutions, approaches and opinions distinguishes us. We face challenges together and see them as an opportunity to constantly optimize the quality of our work and adapt it to local needs in the best possible way.
It is our goal to counteract the stigmatization of HIV/AIDS, Covid-19 and other contagious diseases as well as other forms of discrimination. To this end, we motivate everyone involved in our activities to be examined for HIV and other contagious diseases. We support sick people, reduce their trauma and significantly improve their mental and physical health. We help them to get proper medical care and healthy nutrition. Furthermore, we enable them to experience support in our facilities and the community at our locations.
To this end, we train the local employees with the support of our local partners in questions of healthy nutrition, hygiene measures, family planning, basic medical care, the consequences of alcohol and drug abuse, violence prevention, avoiding the transmission of HIV/AIDS and other diseases.
Our activities are made possible by donations. Our goal is to direct the required money from our donors to our facilities in the simplest and most cost-effective way and to cover the needs. The founder of the foundation and many helpers in Germany are forgoing a salary. This keeps administration costs low. Our activities are subject to regular quality checks and controls by our foundation board and recognized auditors in Namibia and Germany.
Both in Germany and at the locations in the countries of the south, we strive to use the earth's resources in an environmentally friendly and sustainable manner.
In our publications, presentations and personal discussions, we always report transparently and in detail on the developments in our work, iie successes as well as die Challenges. We are always available for questions and suggestions and look forward to your visit to our facilities in Namibia.
Our long-term goal is to set up our activities and facilities in an identical or similar form at as many other locations or in other countries as possible. In addition we give our experience – similar to a "Msanchise system" – continue willingly and free of charge. We enable new partners and employees to take part in further training and promote the exchange of experiences with the existing facilities. We also make our knowledge of free documentation, software and proven teaching materials available to you. The selection for the establishment of new activities and facilities as well as the location is determined by the board of directors of the steps for children foundation in Germany together with the local partners.
We also encourage collaboration and networking with other institutions and non-governmental organizations (NGOs = non-governmental organisations) both in Europe and on site. We strive for meaningful cooperation and avoid competitive thinking. Everyone can learn with us, as long as the possibilities and capacities exist. "Copy and imitation” is desired and encouraged.

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