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 201.
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.
