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Support from kindergarten to education

Overall, we support more than 2,000 children every day through our projects

Our locations

Our project work on the ground aims for long-term change – with education, care and social entrepreneurial thinking.

steps for children Countries

Our system of action

Shaping the future together – education, safety and prospects for disadvantaged children in Namibia and Zimbabwe.

Creating better educational opportunities – this is what we have set out to achieve with the social steps at steps for children. In steps-owned educational facilities, as well as with local educational institutions, more than 2,000 children and young people in need from impoverished neighbourhoods in Namibia and Zimbabwe are supported five days a week. steps ensures the fulfilment of basic human needs: safety, nutrition, stability.

In Namibia, steps for children is represented at six locations with a total of eight projects. Whether with local partner organisations or in our own centre in Okakarara, our projects are always run by people on the ground. This creates trust, makes use of existing structures and enables a deeper understanding of cultural particularities. In this way, our initiatives have a sustainable impact and operate on an equal footing. But steps supports the projects not only financially, but also through business expertise and advisory services. In addition, steps regularly initiates teacher and staff meetings as well as further training, which sets a high quality standard.

Social steps

Prospects for the future.

The non-profit foundation represents both social steps and income-generating steps in Namibia. Our so-called social steps are facilities that care for, promote and support children and young people from the poorest backgrounds. The foundation helps through your donations where it is most needed and thus enables every steps child to have a hot meal and a sense of security – a second home.

Soup kitchen

One hot meal a day
Every child who is looked after in one of our social projects receives a hot meal every day in one of our soup kitchens. This is because many children do not have breakfast or lunch at home. Regular meals form an essential basis for healthy healthy development. In this way, we prevent malnutrition and concentration problems.

Day nurseries

Childcare from 0-3 years
In the toddler group, babies and toddlers aged 0 - 3 years are looked after by well-trained nursery nurses. Early development through healthy nutrition, loving care and age-appropriate stimulation as well as hygiene education are an integral part of the curriculum.

Kindergartens

Promotion from 3-5 years
steps Kindergartens support children aged 3 - 5 years through healthy nutrition, loving care, hygiene education and age-appropriate learning and play stimulation. This promotes healthy physical and cognitive-spiritual development, positive social interaction and emotional stability.

Preschool

Preparation for state primary school
In pre-school, the children are comprehensively prepared for primary school - all of them are given a place in Year 1. For the guardian angel programme, the team recommends particularly needy and talented children, who are then tested by steps. This ensures that the selection process remains transparent and fair.

Afternoon care

Support after school
In the afternoon, both children from our Guardian Angel programme and regular school children are supervised with their schoolwork, receive extra tuition and have plenty of opportunities to play. In addition to realising small art and craft projects, the steps children also learn how to use the computer.

step homes

Accommodation for orphans
In Namibia, most children whose parents have died of AIDS or other diseases are at risk of malnutrition and illness. They are denied social participation outside the family circle. For these children, we have found steps homes families who take in orphans and care for them as if they were their own.

Guardian angel programme

Financial support for the school career
In Africa, and particularly in Namibia, the education system is severely underdeveloped. Without support, children from poor families have little chance of finishing school with prospects. The steps for children guardian angel programme accompanies them from primary school through to higher education and pays for school fees, uniforms and materials.

steps students

Financial support for your studies
Support our female students in Windhoek: young people from the poorest backgrounds are given the chance of higher education for the first time. In 2021, the first guardian angel children from Okakarara were able to study at university thanks to continuous support.

“I find it particularly positive that the project
is well on its way to becoming independent and does not merely
rely on donations being sufficient.”

Maximilian Muhle
Volunteer in Okakarara

„Here in Eppendorf, you grow up in such a feel-good oasis. You hear about the problems, but you can't really imagine them. And although, well, how do you put this... even though they lead a completely different life to us and are among the poorest people in the world, they are still happy and cheerful.“

Paul Zeller
Former student council president at Gymnasium Eppendorf

Income-generating steps

Becoming independent from donations in the long term

Income-generating steps are measures through which the foundation steps for children partially funds social steps – that is, its own social facilities such as nurseries, preschools and soup kitchens. Once the running costs of the small business are covered, 100% of the surpluses from the income flow, without any deductions, into the social steps of the facilities in Namibia.

Our long-term goal is to become less dependent on donations. We create a social return by improving the lives of people on the ground. We support them in developing skills to overcome their challenges and bring about change. Through the small businesses it has established in Namibia, steps for children creates training and jobs and helps local people to generate their own income. The jobs in their own country thus support the economic cycle and counteract the causes of migration (primarily in Zimbabwe), so that our organisation sustainably helps the local population and offers opportunities for an independent future.

Through the salary of one of our employees,
on average, five other family members are fed.

Vegetable cultivation

in Okakarara/Ongombombonde
A 1,000 m² open-air garden has been cultivated since 2014. There is also a small shade house for growing seedlings. Trees of various species provide shade for the open-air garden, including the olive trees in our sytropical agroforestry system. Harvest sales secure salaries and finance the soup kitchen. Surpluses flow into reserves for vegetables and garden supplies.

Sewing workshop

in Okakarara
Since 2006, single mothers have been producing bags, aprons and cases, as well as steps T-shirts as school uniforms for kindergarten & preschool children. Sales in Namibia and Germany support social services such as soup kitchens and kindergartens – all proceeds go to the facilities.

Rented flats

in Rehoboth
The Otto Xamseb and Bridge of Hope cooperation projects finance six permanently rented flats through rental surpluses.

Guest houses

in Okakarara and Gobabis
Income from guest accommodation for volunteers, tourists, companies and authorities flows entirely into the social steps - support without deductions.

Chicken breeding

in Okahandja
In Okahandja, a solar-powered hatchery supports the rearing of chickens. The hatchery and the chicken coop have now been handed over to the project and are generating income.

Fish ponds

in Mutasa
steps for children is supporting the construction of two fish ponds in Mutasa, Zimbabwe. Together with the Help with Plan Foundation and Plan International, we have been active here with income-generating steps since 2017.

Trainee Home

in Gobabis
Our newly built flats provide accommodation for students in five double rooms with ten workstations in Gobabis. Rental contributions contribute to the financial independence of the projects and promote the academic education of young people.