[New York, NY - March 6, 2020 ] New York/Addis Ababa-based NGO and non-profit organization Studio Samuel, which empowers at-risk girls to reach their potential through education and employable skills, is celebrating International Women's Day (March 8) with its first events in California. This year's theme 'each for equal' elevates the message that gender equality is essential for economies and communities to thrive, which is at the heart of Studio Samuel's mission. On Saturday, March 7, Studio Samuel US team members are participating in the 5K Rodeo Run in Huntington Beach for awareness and fundraising for its life skills program Training for Tomorrow. On Sunday, March 8, with support from Ethiopian Airlines and Ethiopia Healthcare Network, Studio Samuel is hosting a private event with performance by Esy at the Ethiopian restaurant Rosalind's in Los Angeles to share its mission and stories of girls' empowerment with the goal of building community and driving support for student scholarships.

One such story of empowerment is that of Studio Samuel student Melesse's mother, who was denied an education and is determined to support her daughter's path. When she was struggling to afford rent in Melesse's early years, she moved into a plastic container room strategically located roadside, where she could sell biscuits and candy to passersby while her daughter was safe. This allowed her to save money for uniform and supplies when Melesse started school. Melesse, who excels in science, is aware of the sacrifices her mom has made to keep ​her in school, and her goal is to be first in the family to reach 10th grade and earn a university degree.

​Studio Samuel is excited to announce that the life-changing campaign to restore its HIV/AIDS Prevention Course is fully funded, thanks to The White Feather Foundation. Currently there are 100 girls in Studio Samuel's after school program Training for Tomorrow , and 50 girls enrolled in the Studio Samuel Institute of Art & Technology, the government accredited college program that launched in late 2019. The HIV/AIDS Prevention Course has been an important part of the Training for Tomorrow curriculum, implemented out of need after a 10-year-old student became the sole caregiver to her HIV+ mother in 2015. After becoming inoperable last year due to lack of resources, the organization is grateful to bring it back for Spring 2020. Access to healthcare resources is another facet of empowerment and a necessity for all in an equal world. Studio Samuel's vision is a world where girls everywhere, no matter where they were born, know that they have the same hope and possibilities.

She didn't ask what the challenges were or what she should do. She simply acted. A lesson for all of us.

When her teacher, epic-Ric Elliott, shared his plans with the class to visit Studio Samuel, Imogen used her voice to lift her peers a world away. (see video)

Amesegenallo, Imogen! 
(thank you)

​​We always talk about the girls, but what about the moms, dads and extended family? Or the neighbor, with no blood relation to our student?

These are the caregivers who so selflessly watch over the young girl who may have lost both parents to AIDS or ran away from her rural town after being sold into child marriage. Just two examples of why she now faces living on the street or being placed in a government orphanage for girls.
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These almighty caregivers likely can’t afford the extra mouth to feed, but because they know the alternative for the child, they do it.

Studio Samuel students live at, or below, the poverty line. Many have lost at least one biological parent and they face barriers such as child labor, trafficking and child marriage. The common thread here: her education is denied.

With education, she's given the opportunity to break these barriers. And these aren’t just words. Students are doing it while inspiring younger girls along her path to do the same.

The common thread in her success? She has a caregiver in her corner, who was also likely denied an education as a child.

Get involved today by joining The Studio and give education to a girl.

Sending thanks to our partner, Ethiopia Health who keeps the caregivers healthy so their girls can stay in school.

#LetGirlsLearn
#girlscandoanything
#empowergirls

​​Studio Samuel students are learning basic sewing skills in their occupational training class by sewing 500 menstrual kits, which they’ll distribute to girls who lack access to feminine hygiene supplies. In developing countries, this is one of the biggest contributors to girls dropping out of school.
 
Last year, the girls celebrated International Day of the Girl (Oct 11) by visiting schools in the rural area and distributing 250 kits to girls in need. Because of the program’s success, there’s now a waiting list at 16 schools! The girls are working hard to double last year’s impact and reach 500 girls this year.
 
It’s with many thanks to The White Feather Foundation and their supporters for spearheading this initiative last year by providing supplies, including new sewing machines.   #IDG2017

Her Profile: Not yet 18yrs old, lost both parents at a young age, has transitioned between homes of extended family, and has known poverty her entire life.

Beyond her Profile: A shining light who believes in herself, sees the harsh reality of her future if she remains stagnant and has therefore committed herself to education to change her world.
This drive and determination landed her in a Global Young Leaders Competition. She’s one of 50 students to secure a seat at the table from over 3,000 applicants around the world.
It’s likely she was the only applicant working on her case study by candlelight during power outages and facing loss of internet while conducting required online research for the competition. Between school and her workload at home, she was already putting in 12+ hour days, yet she met application deadlines by finding another 5-6 hours after others went to sleep each night. Or, she would slip away to our computer lab under the guise of running household errands because education for girls is not supported in her home.
A case study was required of each applicant; highlighting a need in his or her community and finding a solution. As she progressed through each stage of the competition, her uncertainty turned to hope. She began embracing the idea that her voice mattered, her work mattered and that she actually had a shot of winning. Her proposal to tackle infrastructure in a community so divided by rich and poor was noticed. Not only noticed, but selected – by experts in their field. Her case study was deemed both feasible and vital to her community. She WON!

She was offered an all-expenses paid trip, which would be chaperoned by our Country Director, ensuring her safe travels to and from the US and offering general assistance along the way. At the one week long US retreat, she would share her case study with the 50 other winners and be matched with a mentor and key group of young leaders whom she would work with remotely over the course of the next year. During this period, the teams would be implementing their case studies within their communities around the globe while remaining in touch.

She was offered an all-expenses paid trip, which would be chaperoned by our Country Director, ensuring her safe travels to and from the US and offering general assistance along the way. At the one week long US retreat, she would share her case study with the 50 other winners and be matched with a mentor and key group of young leaders whom she would work with remotely over the course of the next year. During this period, the teams would be implementing their case studies within their communities around the globe while remaining in touch.

Logistics were in place; including passport in hand, her agenda with the U.S. Studio Samuel team and her visa appointment was scheduled. Knowing this would be no easy task, we secured letters of support from key community members, the competition organizers and more.

It was the day of her visa appointment and at 3amEST, my What’sApp message came through from our Country Director. I heard the notification and butterflies swirled in my stomach before opening my eyes. This was it. This meant they had left the US Embassy in Ethiopia and were issued a decision. A girl’s future rested on securing this visa and I didn’t know if I was prepared for the outcome.

“She was denied. We are both very, very sad.” It ripped me apart inside.

No US retreat. No year-long leadership program. She will not meet colleagues who will become lifelong friends. She will not have a mentor to guide her through the crucial years of teen to young woman.  She won’t be there to share her case study that would have created great impact for her community.

Looking at all she gained through the application process, soaking in every experience like a sponge, I don’t doubt for one moment this strong young woman would have broken her cycle of poverty – and that of a few community members – with this opportunity. She has overcome obstacles a young girl should never experience and because of her strong will, has made these challenges her motivators.

I suppose because of this, she will be fine but I don’t want to accept ‘fine’ for her. She is so much more.

Things are happening fast now, with passport in hand and a visa interview scheduled. She’s just been awarded the dream of a lifetime – to travel to the US and present her case study – the one she’s worked on so hard over the past six months.

Before school, during breaks and before bed each night, she made this project her purpose. She never imagined being selected from the thousands of applicants around the globe, but she wasn’t going to let this opportunity pass.

The barriers she faced in her past left her alone at a young age. Education was always her go-to safe place and ironically, she’s now under guardianship by someone who sees girls’ education as futile. Never losing sight that education is her pathway to an independent future, this competition offered the window of hope and fire she needed to keep going.

It’s a platform for young people around the world to recognize a challenge in their community. Applicants devise a plan that addresses the challenge, based on data and research relevant to their community. Those with the strongest case studies have been selected to present in the US to a group of entrepreneurs, successful professionals and a mentoring group. The latter will be working alongside her for the next year as she implements her winning project into her community in Ethiopia.

The response she’s received from other Studio Samuel students, their families and those in our community, has been inspiring and so moving. It is them who will also feel the impact of her hard work.