A HEART PREPARED FOR THE CALL
Joanna came to Uganda expecting to serve for a short time. But when she encountered children living in extreme poverty in the slums of Kampala, she knew she could not return to her old life unchanged.
Before Uganda, Joanna had spent years working with vulnerable children and youth—as a foster mother, volunteer, and trained counsellor. Those experiences quietly prepared her for what lay ahead.
A CALLING BORN OUT OF DARKNESS
Soon after arriving, Joanna volunteered at an orphanage where something felt deeply wrong. Over time, children began to open up and reveal severe abuse by the director. Joanna reported the crimes and fought for justice within a complex legal system. The man was later sentenced to 15 years in prison.
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This experience exposed a painful truth: many children living in orphanages were not orphans at all. They had families who loved them but lacked the means to care for them. It became clear that real change required more than rescue—it required healing, protection, and the restoration of families wherever possible.
FROM COMPASSION TO ACTION - STEPS IS BORN
Out of these experiences, STEPS Foundation was born. Joanna began supporting vulnerable single mothers and widows with school fees, food, rent, medical care, and vocational training—helping families stay together and preventing children from ending up on the streets.
At the same time, she encountered another urgent reality: thousands of boys living on the streets of Kampala, many struggling with drug addiction from a very young age. Through outreach, rehabilitation, and faith-driven care, STEPS created a pathway off the streets and back into family and community life.
Today, STEPS operates a rehabilitation centre where children receive counselling, education, life skills, and long-term support. Together with families and authorities, STEPS works to reunite children with their relatives whenever possible—and continues walking with them long after they leave the centre.
2013
2013 – Joanna arrives
2014-2016
2014–2016 – Work with slums, families
2017+
2017+ – STEPS founded, Rehab centre built, etc.
A MESSAGE FROM OUR FOUNDER
“When I came to Uganda, I planned to volunteer for one year. I never imagined God would change my heart so deeply and call me to stay.
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I have seen great pain — children abused, addicted, and abandoned; mothers so desperate that leaving their child in an orphanage seemed like their only hope. But I have also witnessed incredible miracles: boys freed from drugs, families reunited, mothers starting businesses, and children who once lived on the streets now graduating from school.
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STEPS is not about me. It is about what God can do when ordinary people say yes. Every transformed life reminds us that hope is stronger than despair.
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Thank you for believing that every child deserves a safe home, love and a future.”— Joanna Eliasson, Founder
— Joanna Eliasson, Founder of STEPS