#idg2019

When we invest in Girls’ Health, Safety, Education, and Rights - in times of Peace and Crisis - We Empower them to reach for their dreams and build better lives for themselves and their communities. Empower a Girl can Change the

Event in New York City on October 10 Introduces Mentorship Program and Shares Story of Studio Samuel’s Martial Arts Teacher

Generating Movement In Step with United Nations IDG Theme GirlForce: Unscripted and Unstoppable

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 participating in International Day of the Girl (October 11), honoring achievements by, with and for girls, with an event at Meske Ethiopian Restaurant in New York City on October 10.

Studio Samuel’s International Day of the Girl theme is Fighting (and Kicking) to Make a Difference, which runs parallel to the UN’s theme GirlForce: Unscripted and Unstoppable. One of the pillars of the curriculum at Studio Samuel’s center in Addis Ababa is self-defense training through martial arts, and the instructor’s story is just one of many illustrations of these themes. She grew up in a plastic container home with siblings and joined martial arts to protect her younger brother who was bullied on the bus by older boys. Martial arts boosted her self-esteem and she had the courage to confront her brother’s bullies. Today, she is a black belt and earns an income for her household by teaching martial arts part-time for Studio Samuel, while studying to be an accountant.

Studio Samuel’s event in New York on October 10 will raise awareness for its martial arts program and the impact it has on its students.  The organization will introduce its new Be Her Mentor program, and will present guest speaker Josh Rosenblatt, author, MMA fighter, former Fightland/VICE Media.

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 for which students start classes on October 8. In aligning with Studio Samuel, the government in Addis Ababa will be providing assistance to graduates for job placement. This is in tune with the international community today engaging focus on employable skills for women transitioning from education to the workforce.

Said Tamara Horton, Founder and Executive Director of Studio Samuel, “Our girls fight every day to make their voices heard, to stay in school and to be recognized equally in their community. In addition to the needed value of self-defense, martial arts targets our students at their very core by increasing self-esteem and removing any doubt in the power of their voice.”

For one week leading up to International Day of the Girl 2019, Studio Samuel’s Training for Tomorrow students are working as field reporters, collecting data and stories from women of different generations in their families and villages. Upon conclusion, they will present their findings on the advancement of girls’ empowerment in their own community and open the dialogue further to determine what they can do to amplify the message of Unscripted and Unstoppable.

Since 2012, October 11 has been marked as the International Day of the Girl. The day aims to highlight and address the needs and challenges girls face, while promoting girls' empowerment and the fulfillment of their human rights. Studio Samuel champions education, fosters employable skills and contributes to the global movement through the ripple effect around the girls in its program. Studio Samuel has impacted over 2,200  girls to date in Ethiopia.

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 arm at-risk 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 2,200 girls (9-18 years old) in Ethiopia and its vocational arm has been accredited as a college. Studio Samuel Institute of 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 man to fish' platform which would result 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 Tomorrowis 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 college, mentoring peers and using their voice for change in their communities.