Studio Samuel Foundation Inc

Studio Samuel Foundation is one of the many wonders now in my life because of the adoption of our son, Niko Samuel (pronounced sam-well), from Ethiopia. After multiple trips, a growing circle of friends in Ethiopia and seeing firsthand the barriers that women and girls face, creating a foundation with this community was the natural next step.

After launching as a US-based non-profit in 2012, we immediately filed paperwork with the Ethiopian Charities & Societies Agency to become recognized as an Ethiopian NGO. This process is a complex one (typically taking two years), and very important for the future when laying the groundwork for a solid business model. Our team is over the moon to announce that we are now licensed in Ethiopia and approved to open our first training center!

While ‘on the ground’ in April, we began looking at property for our training center. The capital, Addis Ababa, is expanding at an alarming rate, which has created a boom in the market, in addition to an extreme rise in inflation. It’s not uncommon to see apartments going for >$1,000USD per month. Yes, you read that correctly! And as you can imagine, this is creating a wider gap between the rich and the poor.

Our goal is to secure a compound for our training center between $500-600USD per month that has the capacity to encompass all components of Training for Tomorrow (mentoring, counseling, occupational training, karate and lectures) and our fair trade division. It’s also very dear to our hearts that this space be a welcoming one for all who attend our community presentations. This includes the men in these women's lives.

If you're unable to give at this time yet want to help, please share our campaign with friends and help us widen our reach.

Thank you,

Tamara & the Studio Samuel Team