STUDIO SAMUEL PRESENTS 100 GIRLS SUMMIT 11 OCTOBER IN GULELE, ETHIOPIA Summit Honors International Day of the Girl and the United Nations Theme With Her: A Skilled GirlForce
New York/Addis Ababa-based NGO and non-profit organization Studio Samuel, which empowers at-risk girls to become self-reliant through its life skills program Training for Tomorrow, is participating in International Day of the Girl (October 11), holding the 100 Girls Summit October 11, 2018 in Gulele, Ethiopia. Studio Samuel’s core message is “An educated girl will change her world,” which is in tune with the UN IDG theme this year, With Her: A Skilled GirlForce.
Studio Samuel currently has 100 girls enrolled in its after school program held at the Studio Samuel Training Center, with curriculum including sewing and computer coding. This week, the students will participate in the 100 Girls Summit in Yaya Village at the African Athlete’s Center (founded by Ethiopian marathoner Haile Gebrselassie), and will participate in mentoring workshops, yoga and martial arts. The panel of speakers includes Studio Samuel students, a former trafficking victim, and Sayat Demissie (entrepreneur, actress, singer, humanitarian, and formerly Miss Ethiopia). The 100 Girls Summit will celebrate the girls’ hard work and voice the need for all girls to have access to education and healthcare.
Additionally this week, Studio Samuel students will distribute 100 menstrual kits to two rural schools, continuing its tradition with International Day of the Girl. In Studio Samuel’s occupational training sewing class, girls learn basic sewing skills by making the kits, which help girls who lack access to proper feminine hygiene stay in school. When distributing kits, Studio Samuel students give menstrual health presentations, accompanied by the Studio Samuel nurse and social worker. More than 1,550 kits have been distributed to date.
Said Tamara Horton, Founder and Executive Director of Studio Samuel, “There are millions of girls around the globe fighting for their education. Until communities truly embrace the value of their young women, it is up to these girls to use their voices, embrace their strengths and lift each other. “
As the United Nations puts forth a call for advocacy for and attention to “the most pressing needs and opportunities for girls to attain skills for employability,” Studio Samuel aims to contribute to the global movement through the ripple effect around the girls in its program, and with amplification of its mission through Global Ambassadors, Julian Lennon and Izzy Bizu.
In late 2014, Studio Samuel was granted an international NGO license by the Charities and Societies Agency in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, and the Studio Samuel training center opened, enrolling its first class of 25 students in Training for Tomorrow (Studio Samuel's trademarked life skills program). In 2017, the organization celebrated the enrollment of the 100th Studio Samuel student.
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's goal was to reach one girl by creating a 'teach a man to fish' platform which would result in opportunity, steering girls away from the all too common barriers prone to those living in poverty.
The UNICEF and WHO-approved Training for Tomorrow program has impacted young Ethiopian women through mentoring, counseling, self-defense training, occupational training and healthcare and more. The curriculum targets the biggest challenges these girls face, including: child labor, child marriage, trafficking and lack of access to education. Studio Samuel graduates are enrolling in college, mentoring peers and using their voice for change in their communities.