Stepping Stones for Africa

The Stepping Stones for Africa foundation originates from the informal ‘Focus on Aids’ initiative. Focus on Aids was started in 2003 by Cindy Noordermeer and Remco Kalf in order provide a platform on the internet for the work of Cindy in Ghana.

Focus on Aids in Ghana

The period ranging from the summer of 2003 until the end of 2005 was an inspiring period for the Focus on Aids team. We learned a lot, gained lots of knowledge, met interesting people and had great results. Cindy worked as a dietician in cooperation with the International Health Care Clinic (IHCC) and the West Africa AIDS Foundation (WAAF) in Accra on several HIV/AIDS related projects, and Remco Kalf developed and maintained the website to give Cindy’s projects a voice in the Netherlands. For both, this period was very exciting, productive and inspiring, professionaly as wel as personally.

All projects and events in those two and a half years were documented on the Focus on Aids website, and were shared among our readers in monthly newsletters and mailings.

A period of reflection in the Netherlands

In june 2005, Cindy finished and delegated ongoing projects and came back to the Netherlands. Half a year was taken to reflect upon the expanding web of results, projects and contacts that had grown for 2 years, out of a small and spontaneous initiative. Cindy decided to get a Masters degree in International Public Health at the VU University in Amsterdam. After all gained practical experience she felt she needed more theoretical background and expertise for a professional future in Africa. The trip Remco and Cindy made to Ghana in january 2006 was a great conclusion of this period of reflection, and the time had come to take the next step.

A new foundation

The first step was establishing a foundation. We needed a formal body to give our projects more sustainability and a better financial organisation. A charitable non-profit foundation also gives us the possibility to attract more expertise, sponsors, financial means and funding.

The foundation needed a broad vision, based on what it all had started with: inspiration. But with very clearly defined projects and concrete and practical results. Inspiration is going to be the glue that holds it all together, just as with Focus on Aids. To inspire and to be inspired are like a snowball-effect which makes the seemingly impossible possible.

Besides inspiration, expertise will be very important. Motivation and perseverance are step one to get an initiative going. But expertise is essential to get good and sustainable results. Development aid is an expert field, in which knowlegde and expertise is needed to start, implement and evaluate programs. For this reason, we will establish a Board of Advisers in the near future, with various experts that can help us to make the right decisions in our projects.