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Frequently Asked Questions
Questions & Answers
We have put this page together to provide you with a little information on our beginnings, our background, and our future. Our passionate journey to rescue, love, and provide our Three-fold purpose, "A Home - A Hope - A Future," to each life God gives us, is just unfolding; and as our Lord provides, and as our name states, worldwide is our destination.
Are You an Orphanage?
We are officially a "Permanent" Residential Care Home for Abandoned Children with Special Needs. Permanent meaning, the children cannot be taken from us, nor will they be placed into another residential family home. Our children are "home." This is where our Three-fold Purpose begins.
There is also no limit to the number of Special Needs Children we can receive into our current home, future homes, or future one-of-a-kind Step By Step "Village" Community. We are trusting that God will meet our needs for each and every child He sends to us. To find out more of the story, see the question, "Why did you decide on 'Special Needs?'"
Why did you decide on "Special Needs?"
The Holy Spirit led us to make the decision, to do what we do. When the opportunity was presented to us, we knew it was the Lord, so the only decision we had on the matter, was to say, "Yes" to Him. Where we saw the hopelessness, God saw hope. He positioned us right where He wanted, to care for the least of the children in Ghana, to give them His hope.
The "Special Needs" plight has become a quiet epidemic. In many rural areas of Ghana, a large percentage of Children with Special Needs are socially and spiritually rejected as curses to their families. Certain sects believe these "cursed children" pose a threat to the family, and as a result, they are abandoned at police stations, hospitals, and at the gates of ill-equipped orphanages. In many cases, families will inquire to "witch doctors" and "fetish priests", who deem through superstitious beliefs, that these children are a stigma and a threat to the family. The recommendation, is that the infant or even older child be put to death, usually for a fee. This is why we do what we do.
Check out the next question, to get the rest of the story.
Why not just open an orphanage?
That is where our calling from the Lord comes in. You see, we originally sought to open an orphanage. When we inquired at the Ghana Regional Office of the Dept. of Social Welfare, they emphatically denied us. We were puzzled. "This is why God sent us here", we said. So, we questioned the abruptness of their "No". They reiterated their position on orphanages, and also said, "If you don't believe us, you can go to the National level, and they will tell you the same thing."
Knowing the Lord sent us here for this purpose, we made an appointment at the National Headquarters of the Dept. of Social Welfare. And, when we met? They told us the same thing.
This is what the National Head stated: "We cannot permit you to open an orphanage under any circumstances, but, if you would be willing to take in and care for abandoned children with Special Needs, I will approve you right now!" We said, "Yes" to the National Director, and "Yes" to the Lord.
This is how "Step By Step Home for Children with Special Needs" was born.
How many Children will you be able to care for at your current home(s) location?
In 2019, with our first three children, we settled into our larger home and purposed in our hearts to not put a limit on how many abandoned Children with Special Needs we can receive. We will lovingly and unconditionally accept every precious life presented to us for placement. It is our Lord who sends each child, and we will continually say "Yes" to Him.
We have obtained both the endorsement and full support from every level of the Ghana Department of Social Welfare (DSW), and they have committed to gently guide these once discarded lives, into the loving embrace of our growing Step By Step family. As I write this [February 2024], twenty-six children ranging from 1-15 years old are home with us. We opened our second home in 2022, and in February 2024 we opened home number three.
Our third home expands our capacity to an additional 17 children. Working with DSW officials around the country, we look toward the next child, to provide hope where they once had no hope. Please watch for announcements on our "Step By Step Worldwide Ministries" - Facebook page, as we introduce each of our new "Step By Step Special Kids."
CONCEPT PHOTO
What will you do when you outgrow your current home?
That is a great question. We are indeed quickly running out of room with the addition of each precious child. According to the Ghana Department of Social Welfare, they will fill every home we build, and there will always be a waiting list.
Our vision and emerging plan is to receive a multi-acre parcel of land, and build a Community for Children and Young Adults with Special Needs. This will be our permanent home and International Headquarters for Step By Step Worldwide Ministries. In the development stages, our SBSWM Community plan will include multiple individual family homes (see concept photo), each with two live-in caregivers, caring for up to three children each. We will have a physical therapy center, medical clinic, athletic & recreation area, a fully equipped multi-media children's library, a specialized school for the disabled, including a sign language [ASL/GSL] centered school for the Hearing Impaired, and a Life Skills Training Center for older teens and adults. For our spiritual growth, we will have a community church, and an outdoor setting to hold our "Evangelism Movie Nights," which will be open for all residents and our neighbors, who live in the local towns and villages. The plan is to make this a home for a lifetime.
Please visit our SBSWM Community "Preview Page" for a more detailed description. Because missions work is crucial to the plan, we will also have "in-community" housing for visiting missionaries, where they will be able to thrive in an environment of safety while serving the Lord in Ghana. The Community will be a vital component in fulfilling our three-fold purpose: "A Home, A Hope, A Future" for not only our Step By Step family, but for all those in need. Please go to our "PROJECTS & PROGRAMS" page to see our introduction to the planned community.
Can I visit Step By Step Home for Children with Special Needs?
Yes. We would be blessed if you would come and spend some time with us here in Ghana. We schedule short term mission trips, and also provide for long-term stays. You can help, simply by loving the children, helping at the home, or even contributing your skills and gifting.
For instance, we will need Physical and Speech Therapists, Teachers in Sign Language, Artists & Painters, Crafts Artisans, and most importantly, individuals with a heart for children. We are flexible and will help coordinate a plan to fit your schedule. You can contact us through this website or on our Social Media pages, for more information.
Are donations to "Step By Step Worldwide Ministries" tax deductible?
Yes. All donations are 501(C)(3) fully tax deductible through Step By Step Worldwide Ministries Corporation. When you donate online, you will receive a personalized Thank You receipt for your records, through the email you provide to us.
In January, following the year your gifts are recorded, we will also send you, via email, a Year End Statement of all your donations.
All personal donations received through the mail or in person, will likewise, receive a Year End Statement, to the correspondence you provide.
Should your church, business, or organization, be led to sponsor, support, and join us, in this life changing cause, we can be found on "GuideStar.org" should you need more information on our programs or commitment to transparency.
How can I donate goods and supplies to Step By Step Home for Children with Special Needs?
We have a Fundraiser called, "Love In A Drum". From these fundraisers, volunteers collect everything from children's books, beading kits, and balloons, to pencils, puzzles, paint, and everything in between.
Evangelism materials are a great Fundraiser. With Bibles (new or used), and Gospel Tracts, a "Love in a Drum" Shipment would complement our budding Jesus Film Evangelism outreach.
The most economical way to ship the proceeds to Ghana, is by barrel. The cost is approximately $400.00, which includes the 77-gallon barrel and shipping. Let us know if you would like to start your own "Love In A Drum" Fundraiser. It would be a blessing to the kids, our Step By Step family, and would move the kingdom forward.
Please contact us through our Website, Facebook, or by email.
Do you have child sponsorships?
Yes we do. Mama Connie and I would love to have cheerful givers sow into the lives of our children. We offer individual sponsorships for a donation of $25.00 per month. Please visit our Sponsor a Child Page. This amount will cover daily nutritional needs, and certain medical costs associated with their unique disabilities. Your loving and compassionate support would help us provide our Three-Fold Purpose - "A Home, A Hope, A Future", to the children God gives us.
Sponsorships are also vital to our future growth, enabling us to rescue additional children from a life of hopelessness.
Your name says "Worldwide" but you're only in Ghana?
At this time, our Lord is establishing us for His special purposes here in Ghana, we are patiently waiting on His perfect timing, to expand to other areas of the nation, and other countries. Several people and ministries in various African and Middle Eastern locations, have contacted us with their plight, but we have to take it step by step, as our name implies. My Pastor once said to me, "God will not give you the next step, until you have completed the one He's already given you." So, when He says to take the next step, we will go. "Everything unto the Lord."