Studio Samuel Participates in Africa Code Week & Celebrates International Day of the Girl in Ethiopia; The White Feather Foundation Provides Grant to SS and Training for Tomorrow.
New York/Addis Ababa-based NGO and non-profit organization Studio Samuel, which operates with the mission of providing life skills to vulnerable young women in Ethiopia, is participating in key October events with national and international scale, for the benefit of the girls in its Training for Tomorrow program, including International Day of the Girl (officially recognized by the UN on October 11).
[Portrait of Training for Tomorrow student by Photographer John Delaney]
Studio Samuel is one of eight events in Ethiopia for Africa Code Week, which has brought hundreds of coding workshops to 20,000 youth from various age groups across 17 countries in Africa from October 1-10. Studio Samuel is holding a hackathon at its training center in Addis Ababa with the girls in its life skills program Training for Tomorrow, who range in age from 8-17. The organization recently formed a computer lab at the center, and is using the MIT youth-inspired coding program Scratch this week, which will be incorporated into the Training for Tomorrow curriculum going forward. Google, a sponsor of Africa Code Week held a micro-grant competition for over 350 participants throughout Africa, and Studio Samuel was one of 46 winners, to aid in logistics surrounding the event.
After a stimulating week with coding as the focus of the Training for Tomorrow activity (which runs after school each day), the girls will embark on a journey together taking them north of the city, in celebration of International Day of the Girl. On October 11, the Studio Samuel team and Training for Tomorrow students will hike Washa Michael, where they will reach the ancient rock hewn church of the same name, which is believed to be over 1600 years old dating back to 3rd Century AD. The determination and strength of the girls to make choices for their future path in life is parallel to the symbolism of the ancient structure and artifacts prevailing over time.
In the current Training for Tomorrow session, which commenced in January 2015, 96% of students have seen an increase in school performance. The sustainable nature and community approach to Studio Samuel’s initiatives has drawn the support of philanthropist, photographer and musician Julian Lennon, who joined the Advisory Committee for the organization in December 2014. Recently Lennon’s organization, The White Feather Foundation, which is dedicated to supporting charities and non-profit organizations globally on environmental and humanitarian issues, has extended a grant to Studio Samuel and Training for Tomorrow.
Earlier this year in tandem with International Women’s Day, Studio Samuel released a short documentary that illustrates the organization’s mission. Central to the approach is ”empowerment without pity.” Studio Samuel commends the courage of women choosing sustainable options, and the short film, narrated by Julian Lennon, highlights the perspective of one young woman from the countryside in Ethiopia who exercised choice against at-risk alternatives. Lennon describes, “When you look into the eyes of a young woman in Ethiopia, as she tells you her story, with pride, you see nothing but strength and determination.”
