Addis Abeba, Ethiopia Mar 7, 2022 (Issuewire.com) - New York/Addis Ababa-based NGO and non-profit organization Studio Samuel, which empowers girls in Ethiopia to reach their potential through education and employable skills, is celebrating International Women’s Day (March 8) in Ethiopia with its first Career Exploration Day. This year’s United Nations International Women’s Day theme calls for “a gender-equal world…free of bias, stereotypes, and discrimination…diverse, equitable, and inclusive” and poses action to #BreakTheBias. Studio Samuel is part of the collective of humanity working towards this dream, striving to impact each girl who comes into its life skills program Training for Tomorrow to use her voice and to be empowered to make choices and realize opportunities, and 2022 marks ten years of the organization celebrating IWD.
A key facet of Studio Samuel’s mission is circular impact; the girls in its Training for Tomorrow program are not only accessing skills and tools for a sustainable future, but they also are touching the lives of other young women in the wider community surrounding Addis Ababa. Studio Samuel’s students achieved producing over 3,500 menstrual kits for distribution in February, leading up to International Women’s Day 2022 celebrations in Ethiopia. Made possible through the generosity of Studio Samuel's partners Ethiopiaid, Tomberg Family Philanthropies, Tropical Health Alliance Foundation, The White Feather Foundation, GO Campaign, Ethiopia Healthcare Network, the feminine hygiene kits help keep young girls in school. These efforts touch on three notable sustainable development goals (SDGs) published by the UN: Quality Education, Gender Equality, and Partnerships.
Studio Samuel’s Career Exploration Day further aligns with these sustainable development goals. On March 8, five successful Ethiopian businesswomen will each host a Studio Samuel student to shadow them for the day. Students will see a range of job opportunities including medical, law, fashion design, consulting, and eco-friendly retail. In turn, the girls will share learnings from the experience with their peers, including the newly enrolled class of 100 girls for Training for Tomorrow. This initiative is exemplary of the “teach a woman to fish” principle that guides Studio Samuel’s programming, with a focus on life skills instead of a handout of resources. Further, the initiative celebrates community, women lifting women, and peer-to-peer learning.
In addition to Studio Samuel news, the organization is proud to participate this month in the sixty-sixth Commission on the Status of Women. On March 21st, Studio Samuel will have representation in the virtual summit by two of its students, Country Director: Hilawi Alemayehu, Deputy Director and Health Officer: Meron Alemayehu, and it's Social Worker: Fikir Dilnessa. The priority theme of the summit is: “Achieving gender equality and the empowerment of all women and girls in the context of climate change, environmental and disaster risk reduction policies and programs.” Led by Moderator, Rebecca T. Davis, Ph. D., LCSW (Rutgers University School of Social Work, IASSW Representative to the UN-New York), Studio Samuel’s presentation explores the organization’s grassroots empowerment approach that gives girls a voice. Studio Samuel students and team will speak to community-engaged solutions and capacity needs for girl-serving programs.
Studio Samuel’s leadership and Board of Directors in the US work in complete synergy with the team and students in Ethiopia, always following the lead of the in-country team. In celebration of a woman who has dedicated her life’s work to lifting marginalized youth, Studio Samuel is pleased to share the appointment of Kimberly Ricketts to Chair. Says Tamara Horton, Founder/Executive Director of Studio Samuel, “Kimberly has spent her career successfully advocating for the rights and well-being of children across the US and I’m thrilled our students and community in Ethiopia now have her voice and leadership championing them. As Chairperson of Studio Samuel, Kimberly exudes our guiding principles, always community and girl-centric, which is why I’m so honored to be working alongside her and excited for what lies ahead.”
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About Studio Samuel
Studio Samuel opened its training center doors to the first class of 25 girls in January 2015 after being granted an International NGO license by the Charities and Societies Agency in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. Studio Samuel’s mission is to empower girls to reach their potential through education and employable skills with Training for Tomorrow, the organization’s trademarked life skills program. Today, the program has reached over 6,075 girls (9-18 years old) in Ethiopia and its vocational arm has been accredited as a college. Studio Samuel Institute of Art & Technology opened in October 2019 to 50 young women (18-24 years old).
Tamara Horton, FIT graduate, Women’s Campaign International Global Ambassador to Ethiopia, and Board Member of Ethiopia Healthcare Network, founded Studio Samuel following the international adoption of her son, Samuel. Tamara saw firsthand that safe options were stripped from a girl when she is born into poverty and is denied an education. Her goal was to create a 'teach a woman to fish' platform, resulting in opportunity and safe options, steering girls away from the all too common pathways of child marriage, trafficking, and child labor, which deny them education and voice.
Training for Tomorrow is held after school and on weekends and impacts young Ethiopian women through mentoring, counseling, self-defense training, occupational training, healthcare, and more. Studio Samuel graduates are enrolling in, mentoring peers, and using their voice for change in their communities.
Studio Samuel is grateful to have its mission supported and amplified by Global Ambassador Julian Lennon, UK Ambassador Izzy Bizu, and Ethiopia Ambassador Hanan Tarq.
For more information: Sarah Landy sarah@studiosamuel.org
Media Contact
Studio Samuel/Sarah Landy sarah@studiosamuel.org 9178283247 Yeka Sub City, Woreda 2 https://www.studiosamuel.org
