About us

Our Story

Project Soar was funded in 2013 by Maryam Montague, to give back to the semi-rural Moroccan village where she lives. Ms. Montague pursued a career in human rights with the goal of improving political rights for women around the world. As she focused on rights for women during an assignment in Morocco, she was struck by an oversight in programming: the exclusion of teen girls. This age group was being left behind in many ways: not represented in women’s rights movements, lacked the skills and resources to be able to speak up and shape their future. This is particularly true of girls from underserved rural or semi-rural areas whose parents do not have the financial means or educational background to effectively support their daughters’ schooling. Project Soar was funded with the aim to address these issues and pave the way for a brighter future for girls in Morocco.

Our Vision

Project Soar envisions a world where every marginalized teen girl knows her value, voice, body, rights and path. We're here to ignite a movement where girls are not just participants but trailblazers in the journey toward global gender equality. Our mission goes beyond individual growth, it sparks a ripple effect that transforms entire communities.

These girls become role models and change-makers, driving meaningful projects that address critical challenges. Together, we’re building a more equitable, sustainable world—one girl at a time.

Our Mission

Established in 2013, Project Soar (PS) is a registered Moroccan charitable association and a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization in the US, headquartered in Marrakech. With a mission to empower teen girls to become the leaders of today and tomorrow, our signature girls’ empowerment curriculum is designed to equip marginalized teen girls with the skills and confidence to build more productive futures.

Our Impact

We recognize that knowledge is inextricably linked to more productive futures and empower girls with leadership skills to strengthen their self-agency and stay in school while providing menstrual supplies and knowledge to support them to manage their reproductive and mental health.

Underprivileged teen girls face period poverty + lack access to leadership skills + are vulnerable to violation of their rights

The Problem

Target Group

Underserved teen girls

Trained women empowerment facilitators
in girls communities

Entry Point

Create gender equity as teen girls are better enabled to stay in school and avoid child marriage with community support

Impact

Uncover more about our impact

Read our 2023 annual report

6,616 girls empowered

169 activated squads

+ 21,500 Hours of empowerment workshops:

9,000 Community members engaged

+320 Empowerment Facilitators trained

Soar Girls Speak Out

''Before joining, I was a girl who suffered from social phobia, but thanks to Project Soar, I became a social and self-confident person.''

Nisrine, 18, from Amizmiz.
''I plan to help every girl who cannot defend her rights and encourage her to speak up and make her voice heard by everyone. I am trying my best to reduce underage marriage in the village because it is very widespread in my area.'

Fatima Ezzahra, 18, from Chefchaouen.
''The most important thing I learned through Project Soar is self-confidence, speaking in front of an audience without shyness or embarrassment, and how to express my opinion.''

Lamyae, 17, from Al Hajeb.
''My goal is to empower girls and encourage them to speak up and not feel ashamed to create a support system where we can help each other.''

Jihad, 16, from Akka.
''I learned self-confidence and how to stand in front of an audience, and that my value is no different from that of a boy, and I also learned how to deal with my menstrual cycle and convey the idea that I am strong, capable and a leader.''

Laila, 14, from Douar Laadam.

Where we work

Project Soar has worked in 89 locations all over Morocco, and has expanded to 5 sites in Uganda and 5 sites in Syria & Lebanon

Our sites in Morocco:

Agadir - Akka - Amizmiz - Aourir - Azrou - Beni Mellal - Berkan - Biougra - Boudnib - Casablanca - Dakhla - Douar Laadam - Errachidia - Fam El Hisn - Fes - Guelmim - Laayoun - Larache - Massa - Midelt - Nzalet Bni Amer - Ouarzazat - Oulaad - Rabat - Rich - Sidi Ifni - Sidi Slimane - Sidi Youssef - Douar Igoudar - Tan Tan - Tangier - Teima - Tihaj Ali - Tinejdad.

Our sites in Syria:
Azaz - Maraa - Killy - Kabaseen - Salqin.

Our Founder & Executive Director

PS Founder and Executive Director Maryam Montague is an Ashoka Fellow, TEDx speaker and CNN African Changemaker and has 25+ years’ of project experience in over 30 countries in Africa, Asia, and the Middle East. An experienced senior program manager at both an international NGO and a global management consulting firm, her fields of expertise include: women and youth; civil society capacity building; conflict mitigation; research and assessments; and monitoring and evaluation. Passionate about women’s and girl’s rights, Maryam founded Project Soar in 2013, the feminist teen girls’ empowerment organization which has worked with thousands of girls across Morocco and with internally displaced girls in North West Syria. Born in Egypt to an Iranian mother, Maryam was personally familiar with many of the problems that teen girls were facing and wanted to develop a feminist leadership program that would help marginalized teen girls to better advocate for themselves and the rights of all girls. Maryam recognized that to address the many challenges that girls faced during adolescence, a holistic approach was needed and hence developed The Soar Solution.