The development of the first income-generating project.
The first children's aid project of the steps for children foundation initiated by Dr Michael Hoppe was set up in Okakarara. As part of the project, the first steps sewing centre was founded in 2006. With the support of the “Augsburg Friends of Namibia”, the sewing room could be realised as an income-generating measure.
Who sews here? #handmadeby
In the sewing room, three single mothers earn their own income and are able to feed their families. 
Mbapaa has been working in the sewing room at steps since 2008. Her mother was one of the first seamstresses at steps for children. Her younger daughter was born in 2019, her son Rijameke is in 7th grade and after school he goes to steps afternoon care.
Samueline has been sewing here since 2019 and is the mother of 5 children. One of her children is severely restricted due to an illness. At steps, her son can be with Samueline while she works. The younger siblings are at steps kindergarten and preschool.
What is sewn here?
Bags, aprons, cushions, cases and waterproof tablet and laptop bags are produced here. Mouth and nose protection masks were also diligently sewn here at the height of the fatal Covid outbreak.
Where are the items sold?
Some of them are sold to tourists in Namibia, but some are also sold in Germany at school bazaars, information events and African markets. In addition, aprons specially made in the steps sewing room have already been sold in the Plan Shop by the well-known aid organisation Plan International in Germany. Companies that wanted to get involved in CSR have taken the opportunity to order Christmas gifts from steps for their customers. The waterproof laptop bags with company logos and steps labels are very popular. Also IYou can now place an order for a good cause.
Please note that orders must contain sufficient Lead time need (min. 3 months).
Where do the proceeds go?
The surpluses from the sewing room flow without deductions into the social steps (soup kitchen or kindergarten in Okakarara). The seamstresses continued to be employed despite the lack of tourists and the “standstill” during the pandemic. ♻️
14 years sewing room
For a whole 14 years, the sewing room generated income for the social steps projects and thus contributed to Dr Michael Hoppe's vision - helping people on the ground in a sustainable way. The sewing room also served as a safe space for the seamstresses and she contributed to making steps for children in Okakarara one of the largest employers in the region!
What happened next?
Thanks to a generous donor, we were able to Okakarara a new sewing room to be built. In the meantime, construction had to be paused due to the pandemic, but now, after almost 6 months, the new sewing room is ready. There is now space for more sewing machines and both production and sales can be increased in the post-corona period.
The new sewing room
Now it is no longer a corrugated iron room where dust and heat are a problem for the machines and seamstresses, but a solidly constructed building with an extended showroom and a larger workshop area. The employees are happy about a more pleasant indoor climate and more space for the sewing machines. Of course, Samueline and Mbapaa are also back. The new building brings joy, jobs and income and we are sure that it will last a long time thanks to its stable construction and will work in a cycle with the social steps. You can find out what is happening to the old sewing room and how steps has managed to reuse the materials in a meaningful way here. here read. Here you can now place an order for a good cause. How about Christmas presents from the sewing room?
