STUDIO SAMUEL CELEBRATES INTERNATIONAL WOMEN’S DAY 2022 STANDING IN EMPOWERMENT WITH ITS STUDENTS, STRIVING FOR A GENDER EQUAL WORLD
On March 8th, Studio Samuel Holds Career Exploration Day with Students in Addis Ababa
Students Impacting Community Through Feminine Hygiene Kits Production
[New York, NY – March 7, 2022] 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, 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 (SDG’s) 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 focus on life skills instead of a handout of resources. Further, the initiative celebrates community, women lifting women, and peer to peer learning.
In additional 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 its 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.”
