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STUDIO SAMUEL FOUNDATION HOLDS COMMUNITY EVENT AS PART OF ITS "1HUNDRED GIRLS" IMPACT PLAN, WITH FOCUS ON MATERNAL HEALTH

  Event Taking Place in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia

Thursday, September 19  

In Partnership with Redeem the Generation, Ethiopia Healthcare Network

Screenings Courtesy of Half the Sky Movement & The International Center for Research on Women

  "The most important work that any of us can do in the developing world is the work with women and children, particularly women and girls, because it is the girls who will go on to have strong families and who will really build economic strength for all of us, to be safe and secure in the world."

-        Dr. Jane Aronson (founder and CEO of Worldwide Orphans Foundation) on Studio Samuel

  "Supporting the girl means impacting the community at large. Educating the girl means educating the community while breaking through to a future generation." - Gigi (singer) on Studio Samuel

  www.studiosamuel.org

[New York, NY - September 5, 2013] New York/Addis Ababa-based NGO and fair trade fashion company, Studio Samuel Foundation, is holding a community event focused on maternal health for women in the Yeka Sub City of Addis Ababa on Thursday, September 19. The event is part of Studio Samuel's "1Hundred Girls" Impact Plan, which aims to break the cycle of poverty with dignity through education and life skills training for 100 Ethiopian young women in 2013.

  The community conversation and training event on September 19 is being presented in conjunction with NGO Redeem The Generation of Addis Ababa. Newly partnered with Studio Samuel Foundation, Redeem The Generation is a local organization committed to empowering youth and orphan and vulnerable children with tools to achieve a better life.

  At the event, Studio Samuel will screen excerpts from Eve Ensler's One Billion Rising short film and the acclaimed Half The Sky Movement film inspired by Nicholas Kristof and Sheryl WuDunn's book, covering the following topics: Women's Empowerment through Community Groups; Domestic Violence; Child Brides; Poverty/Education.

  Each woman in attendance will receive a Studio Samuel maternal health and hygiene gift bag, made possible through local organizations in Addis Ababa and created by the Studio Samuel team.  Items in the kit include Days For Girls reusable sanitary menstruation kits, as well as personal hygiene products such as toothpaste/toothbrush, soap and cream.  OBGYN screenings will take place at SSF's partner medical organization, The LeAlem Higher Clinic, funded by the Ethiopian Healthcare Network.

  The September date ties in with International Literacy Day (September 8) and the Ethiopian New Year (September 11), in addition to the release of SSF Global Ambassador Tomás Doncker's new album, Power of the Trinity...A Slight Return (The Global Soul Mixtape) Vol 1, available September 10, with all proceeds going to Studio Samuel. 

  Studio Samuel Foundation launched in April 2012 with the mission of facilitating sustainable options for women in Ethiopia, under the premise of "empowerment without pity." The organization was founded by Tamara Horton, who runs design and marketing from New York City, while maintaining production of the fair trade lines locally in Addis Ababa. The team members are women who have aged out of the orphanage system, and additional sourcing of goods benefits women who are HIV+ with medical care and fair wages, as well as recovering fistula patients preparing for the return to their villages. All proceeds from the fair trade lines (clothing, jewelry, accessories and home goods) directly benefit the 1Hundred Girls Impact Plan programs.

  Studio Samuel's experienced team on the ground in Ethiopia, including its in-country director, helps implement, monitor and measure programs with the intent to expand on a broader scale. The Board Members are based in New York, DC and Ohio. Forthcoming events will be held in Ethiopia and the US around International Day of the Girl on October 11, 2013.

  *Films courtesy of Half The Sky and the International Center for Research on Women (ICRW)

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  SSF EPK (featuring Cyndi Lauper) | http://vimeo.com/46888065

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About Studio Samuel Foundation

Studio Samuel Foundation is an NGO founded by Tamara Horton, FIT graduate and recently named Global Ambassador to Ethiopia, by Women's Campaign International. Studio Samuel Foundation launched in April 2012 with the mission of providing life skills to vulnerable young women in Ethiopia. Horton spearheads design and marketing for Studio Samuel's Fair Trade fashion line from New York City and maintains sourcing and production in Ethiopia's capital, Addis Ababa, teaming with women who have aged out of the orphanage system. All production adheres to the Workers First business model - providing team members with occupational training, medical and dental care (via The LeAlem Higher Clinic) and a location created to be a daily safe haven. Final goods must meet preset environmentally sustainable and quality control standards. Studio Samuel launched programs in April 2013 to expand its scope of impact in Ethiopia, to also reach girls before they age out of the orphanage system and women in focus communities who are at risk of an eternity of poverty. The 1Hundred Girls Impact Plan aims to reach over 100 Ethiopian young women in 2013, inclusive of education, HIV awareness, healthcare, self-defense training, maternal health, feminine hygiene, occupational training, mentoring and community groups, directly arming these young women with necessary tools for the next phase of their lives. By facilitating local relationships on the ground, rather than offering a hand-out, Studio Samuel is helping women break the cycle of poverty they were born into - with dignity - one woman at a time.

About Redeem The Generation

Redeem The Generation is an NGO based in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, committed to work for the empowerment of youth and orphan and vulnerable children to release their potential for a better life, providing tools to be competent to face life challenges through dialogues, trainings, instilling values, job creation, maximizing potential, offering psychosocial support for OVC, and provision of quality sexual and reproductive health services for youth with an active involvement and networking of relevant stakeholders.

About Ethiopia Healthcare Network

Ethiopia Healthcare Network's mission is to provide healthcare in Ethiopia to women and children without access, in a manner that is both efficient and provides the greatest health benefit to the patient. Our focus is healthcare for women and children because they are most vulnerable and the binding force of the community. This is done in partnership with in-country resources, charitable organizations, national and local government, churches, mosques and businesses. Ethiopia Healthcare Network's main program is with LeAlem Higher Clinic in Addis Ababa, a highly regarded private clinic headed by Dr. Alemayehu Dinku. LeAlem, which means "for all" in Amharic, began charitable operation in 2009, and since has served more than 3,500 patients, 95% of which subsist on less than $1,000 per year.

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