Stepping Stone International Advocates For The Empowerment Of Children By Lorraine Kinnear
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tepping Stones International (SSI) is a non-governmental, non-profit organisation that was formed in 2006 with a focus on creating an enabling environment for orphaned and vulnerable children, as well as youth to grow and build their futures through youth empowerment, family enrichment, and advocacy for child protection. The organisation also seeks to capacitate service providers. Through its holistic programme model, which combines life skills, leadership, psychosocial support, and community mobilisation, it instills confidence and self-sufficiency in young adults. SSI began as a small centre in Mochudi, serving a small fraction of the community, thereafter opening a bigger centre in 2002 that has been happy to serve more youth in local communities and districts. Today it operates in various communities and districts across Botswana, including Letlhakane, Gaborone, Goodhope, Tutume, and Ghanzi. The Responsible Citizen (TRC) had the pleasure to sit with SSI's Communications Specialist, Lebo Ashley Phillip who shared a lot about the organisation's work. TRC: WHAT IS THE CORE BUSINESS OF STEPPING STONES INTERNATIONAL? LAP: We are a non-profit organisation primarily focused on unlocking the potential of vulnerable children and youth between the ages of 12-25 through holistic development, strengthening families, and activating sustainable opportunities for them to become self-sufficient. Our vision is to see a world where children and youth are empowered, becoming leaders, and achieving their dreams. Our focus areas include youth empowerment, family strengthening, strengthening youth services, as well as child protection. In all aspects of our work, we
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engage the community from design to implementation and monitoring. For example, with our 'Grandmothers Programme,' we design support groups led by community grannies who are interested in building community programmes; they come up with activities demonstrating how these programmes will be implemented to meet
THE RESPONSIBLE CITIZEN | BUSINESS • COMMUNITY • IMPACT
