Empower Teen Girls in Morocco

Hello friends!  

Project Soar is sending gratitude to You, our supporters for your continued and much valued support.  

Donations to this Empower Teen Girls in Morocco GlobalGiving Project enable us to keep the Project Soar Empowerment Headquarters running smoothly. These Headquarters, located in Douar Laadam, Morocco, play an essential role in the work of Project Soar. The Headquarters are not only home to our main office but also host three Project Soar in a Box Girl Squads, serve as a Safe Space for local girls, and provide an environment that fosters intercultural interactions and the exchange of ideas. 

Another exciting milestone took place at the Headquarters on October 10th, 2021, when the first of two Douar Laadam Orientation Days was hosted with great success to help launch the 2021/2022 programs. Over 50 girls were safely welcomed to the Headquarters, where the secure and welcoming environment enabled them to open up to one another and build new, trust-based relationships with each other as well as their Empowerment Facilitators. Project Soar cherishes these relationships with each and every Project Soar Girl and welcomes them gladly as honored guests. On this special day we also hosted another group of honored guests: the Norwegian Ambassador to Morocco, Sjur Larsen, as well as his two teenage children. 

Ambassador Larsen came to Project Soar to learn more about Project Soar in a Box and hear first hand about the impact our work has on girls’ lives in Morocco. During his visit he participated in a discussion with 10 Girl Leader Club members. “Hosting feminist diplomatic representatives such as Ambassador Larsen is an ideal exchange as it helps to broaden perspectives for both the PS Girls as well as the foreign visitors we are hosting,” says Tess Dunn, Program Manager of Project Soar Morocco activities. Ambassador Larsen and his children sat with Girls and asked questions about how they have been impacted by Project Soar before taking questions from the Girls concerning gender equity in Norway. Aziza Eddari, a PS Girl Leader Club member who was recently elected as the Vice President of her local government, proudly noted that "the Ambassador was impressed and amazed with how strong I must be to be the first female that builds a handball team in my village and also that I am the first young woman who has won an election like I did. I felt very proud of myself when he was complementing me - this gave me more strength and confidence to shine!"

The Girl Leader Club members were also curious to learn about the differences between gender equity policies in Norway and Morocco. They were interested to hear Ambassador Larsen speak of paid parental leave for all parents, regardless of gender, and laws that require at least 40% of leadership positions be held by individuals who identify as women. The Girls and Ambassador Larsen agreed that being inclusive with decision making and providing opportunities to traditionally marginalized groups benefits the world as a whole, as diversity leads to more interesting ideas and better innovation. 

We were very happy to welcome Ambassador Larsen to Project Soar! Thanks to the support of generous donors like you we are able to host such guests at our Headquarters and encourage enlightening cross-cultural discussions. 

Stay tuned for more Project Soar news, and never doubt that you are making a difference!

Warmest wishes, 

The Project Soar Team                          

Dear Friends,

Project Soar is so thankful to You, our supporters as we continue to navigate this ever-changing world. With your support of the Empower Teen Girls in Morocco project, we are able to continue to safely welcome Project Soar Girls and staff to our headquarters in Douar Laadem. As you know, these walls are more than just a building - they represent a safe space for girls to develop confidence, understand how to advocate, become leaders, and aspire to change the world.

Project Soar Headquarters are not just offices for our team, but a safe space for teen girls. During set times each week, Project Soar girls can convene and use the space in ways that serve them best, with access to internet, the PS library, tablets, chess, art supplies, etc. Project Soar Girls know the importance of education and in the run up to exams, we extended Safe Space hours to 5 days per week in order to allow Girls to use Headquarters as needed with flexibility and ease.

We recently sat down with Project Soar 2020-2021 Alumni and new Soar Girl Leader Club member, Soukaina Zaihour to learn more about what having this Safe Space means to her. "I am very happy to come to Project Soar during Safe Space hours," she tells me. "It really motivates me. Having a place to be together with the Project Soar Staff and the other PS Girls inspires me to be creative and continue my schooling." In the weeks leading up to exams, Soukaina was often times at Project Soar Headquarters for as many as seven hours a day, not just to study, but also to flex her creative muscles. "I come here to study English and other topics in school like physics, math, and French. I love to use the resources here, like the tablets and to watch educational videos. This also helps me to learn more about how to use technology for learning. But I also come here to do creative things like creating photo montages, painting and drawing." While she is able to draw at home, "here at Project Soar, when I do something creative, I am able to share it with others and make them happy, which I love." 

A very motivated Girl, it is clear that Soukaina recognizes the value of the Project Soar community and is able to foster her relationships and curiousity at Project Soar Headquarters. Now that exams are over, Soukaina hopes to utilize Safe Space hours to "help other Girls who come here to learn." 

In addition to funding general operations that keep our Headquarters and Safe Space hours going, your support of this project has helped to fund other key operational costs such as the purchasing of office supplies, printed materials, and paid for postage allowing us to ship crucial program supplies to our sites across the country.

Stay tuned for more Project Soar news, and never doubt that you are making a difference!

Warmest wishes,

Tess and the Project Soar Team