Hamburg in July 2021
Drawing area 2-100
Dear steps friends,
in deep sorrow and with a heavy heart we must tell you that Melvyrine Bock, affectionately called "Milly" by everyone who knew her, after severe Covid illness am June 28, 2021 died. We are shaken and mourn the loss of our project manager from Rehoboth, who leaves a big gap with her husband, her children and grandchildren, colleagues and all steps children.

Milly was a strong, determined and socially committed woman who we have worked with since 2013.
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Melvyrine Bock ✝ June 28, 2021

She coordinated our partner projects Heart for the Children (until 2019) and Otto Xamseb, Since the end of 2017 we have also been a project partner of the social project she founded Bridge of Hope. This consists of a kindergarten, a preschool and a private elementary school and accepts children from poor families in addition to children whose parents can pay the school fees. In addition, she devotedly took care of 11 steps guardian angel children.

Milly worried about the project's own, but also about children from the surrounding slums. With the soup kitchen newly built by steps for children in 2019, she also offered daily warm meals for hundreds of external children in order to save them from famine.

She supported the head of the project Otto Xamseb Active in the bookkeeping and also managed our apartment buildings in Rehoboth, which generate income for our social steps projects.

Milly always put the well-being of others before her own well-being and was also very involved in the community. We will Milly's big heart, very much miss her trusting, cheerful and reliable manner, her feeling for the concerns of the Namibian communities. As an active partner at steps for children, we will miss her very much and leave a large gap that we cannot fill.

We would like to express our condolences to her husband, children and the entire family. In the midst of grief, we wish them to find what Milly has worked for all the days of their lives: A bridge of hope. A hope that helps us all overcome the darkness and pain of these days and weeks and lets us look into the future.
Your
Michael Hoppe
"It is really sad to hear her passing. Milly unselfishly served our community with full commitment in Rehoboth. It's really going to be difficult to find a successor to such a highly important person. My deepest sympathies to you all colleagues and the family of Milly. May her soul rest in eternal peace. Yours in sorrow, Ueriuka Festus Tjikuua "

Board Chairman
Trust Steps for Children Namibia
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If you want to write a few words in the condolence book,
you have the opportunity to do so here.

Gobabis, Namibia-Gerhard_bw

Gerhard Hamutenya ✝ June 28, 2021

On the same day, the teacher Gerhard Willibard Hamutenya of our partner project Light for the Children in Gobabis died. He leaves behind his wife and four children, one of whom is only a few months old. In addition, a former child from our Boomerang project in Windhoek died of the virus.
As the steps for children foundation, we will provide the bereaved relatives of the deceased with financial support for the funeral, for firewood and food instead of flower arrangements.

If you would like to participate, we offer the possibility here.
The situation in Namibia is dire and very tense, the number of infections is exploding and children are also dying from the virus. We are deeply shaken and cannot believe how bad the situation is. In some state hospitals, conditions are chaotic, and there are hardly any ventilators or oxygen left.

With Melvyrine Bock and her husband becoming increasingly critical, our national coordinator Ulrike Mai did everything possible to get a ventilator and oxygen. She was actually successful in procuring the currently very scarce goods and was initially able to bring relief to both of them.

Unfortunately, employees in other steps projects have also contracted the virus, some with a mild course, others with a difficult course, children from our projects have become infected and relatives of colleagues have recently passed away.

In order to be able to react faster in the future, if a ventilator is urgently needed in our steps college or with relatives, we would like to purchase a device so that we can use it immediately in an emergency. This ventilator is able to produce the oxygen itself so that we do not have to rely on additional oxygen.
The device costs € 1.500
Support us with a donation for a ventilator.
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The steps for children foundation was founded in 2005 in Hamburg by Dr. Michael Hoppe founded. It now operates at eight locations in Namibia and Zimbabwe, where it is committed to improving educational opportunities for girls and boys from the poor neighborhoods. Over 3.000 children can take part in education and take a warm meal every day at steps and its partner projects.

Hamburger Sparkasse, account: 1238149726, bank code: 200 505 50
IBAN: DE44 2005 0550 1238 1497 26, BIC: HASPDEHHXXX
PayPal: paypal@stepsforchildren.de
or www.stepsforchildren.de

You can make full donations to the steps for children foundation against income tax. You will automatically receive a certificate the following month after receipt of your donation.

With kind regards

Michael Hoppe
(CEO)

Steps for children foundation
Bramfelder Str. 77
22305 Hamburg
T +49 (0) 40 389 027 - 88
F +49 (0) 40 389 042 - 86
info@stepsforchildren.de

www.stepsforchildren.de

Editors:
Marie Schnaidt

Responsible for contents:
dr Michael Hoppe

Photos: © steps for children, unless otherwise noted