2021 Annual Report
Soar prendre son envol ﻖﻴﻠﺤﺗ
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The Soar Mission ...............................
Morocco passed the school year, and who took the grueling Baccalaureate test in 2021 passed (as compared to 55% nationwide) And less than 0.5% got married underage versus 14% nationwide an astonishing feat given that Soar Girls live on less than $1/day and were especially vulnerable under the pandemic 2021 also saw Project Soar make remarkable progress with its Amidst bombs dropping, Project Soar was able to adapt its award winning toolkit for the special needs of internally displaced girls and girls living in conflict zones. More than 173 Syrian teen girls have received 50+ hours of Soar empowerment and are better for it. As Nada, a 16 year old girl from NW Syria said, And so while our world ostensibly changed forever during 2021, the mission of Project Soar remained the same: strong, resolute, and effective But we couldn’t have done it without the concerted efforts of the Project Soar staff, facilitators, board members and our global community of allies. It is in times of crisis, that solidarity and togetherness urge us forward. Thank you all. 100% of the Soar Girls And Hiba is not alone. Over 2021, Project Soar served 1,360 teen girls With the help of their Soar Facilitators and Soar Clubs, these girls leaned into their newly found leadership skills and fought tirelessly for their right to an education, negotiating with their parents to avoid child marriage. And it paid off! 98% of Soar Girls in Dear friends and supporters, As I write this message, we are emerging from troubling times. In 2021, the world continued to traverse an unprecedented health crisis that impacted every aspect of our lives And as is often the case, the situation was particularly difficult for teen girls. Indeed, the Malala Fund estimates that as many as will never go back to school because of the pandemic In Uganda, a key country where Project Soar works, schools were closed for 22 months one of the longest school closures in the world. Perhaps it’s no surprise then that there was an estimated 20%+ spike in pregnancies among Ugandan school going girls and an increase in child labor by 15%, affecting girls in particular Amidst the difficulties teen girls continued to endure everywhere, we find hope in success stories Like 15 year old Hiba, a Soar Girl from Douar Laadam, Morocco, who said:
Maryam Montague Project Soar Founder and Executive Director With the hope of a more just world for teen girls everywhere, Who we are 4 6 20 million girls pilot program in NW Syria.
Empowering teen girls to be the leaders of today and tomorrow. “After becoming a Soar Girl, my confidence is so much higher. I was going to drop out of school because I had bad grades, but the Soar workshops on education motivated me to never quit or give up on my goals. Now I am the first in my class.”
“Being divorced, I felt weak and broken Soar is helping me re gain my confidence
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2021 in Review .................................. 7 Our Work ................................................ 8 Global Impact .................................... 14 Soar Syria .............................................. 16 Soar Stories ........................................... 18 Donors & Financials .......................... 22 Soar Team .............................................. 24 UNFPA Partnership.............................. 10 Empowered Girls Dialogue .......... 12
Established in 2015 Morocco, Uganda & Syria Headquartered in Marrakech Marginalized teen girls Nonprofit 501(c)3 organization, registered in the US and Morocco Signature empowerment curriculum helping girls understand their: WHO WHAT V A L U E V O I C E B O D Y R I G H T S P A T H WHEN WHERE HOW 4 ﻖﻴﻠﺤﺗ
The Soar Pledge
The Soar Mission
in Review hours of empowerment workshops days training Soar Facilitators squads in Morocco & Soar Facilitators BeGirl menstruation kits distributed 15 Soar Dialogues Soar Clubs volunteers grants received volunteer hours donated Empowering girls in Morocco and Syria 1,495 120 24 41 103 1,284 31 18 5 859 2021 1,360 girls served hours of English language camp provided 7 Project Soar Founder named Gratitude Fellow 100% Soar Girls passed the BAC 2 exam 99% Soar Girls avoided child marriage 100% eligible Soar Girls pursued higher ed. 14 squads in Syria vs 55% of students nationwide vs 86% of girls nationwide 99% Soar Girls avoided dropping out of school vs 74% of 9th grade & 80% of 12th grade students nationwide vs 39% of girls enrolled in higher ed nationwide
Each workshop helps develop teen girl confidence and skills through a combination of: Soar girls across Morocco and Syria join Soar workshops in their communities led by trained Soar Facilitators Workshops are rooted in the Soar Empowerment Pillars: Soar Clubs help Girls put into action their leadership skills in their own communities Led by girls, for girls, Soar Clubs receive continued support and are equipped with a toolkit that helps them effectively manage their Clubs through: 8
Soar Clubs in Morocco Soar Club members In 2021, Soar Club activities included exam study sessions, environmental club meetings, book clubs, advocacy plays on sexual harassment and child marriage, nature walks, and all girls sports events In 2021 there were:
In 2021, Project Soar expanded Soar Dialogues with the continued support of Civil Society in Development (CISU) and Crossing Borders Soar Dialogues help foster the leadership skills of Soar Girls, supporting them to mobilize and advocate around teen girl rights in their own communities Girls learn to map and engage with community allies, and plan and lead the dialogues themselves with the support of their Soar Facilitators Dialogues address such issues as girls dropping out of school, sexual harassment, child marriage and other issues identified by the girls themselves In 2021 there were: feminist movement. Soar Facilitators and Girls are trained to build platforms for girl and women led community based change Our feminist staff also includes a communications team who is dedicated to growing our online reach locally and abroad: 9 Soar Dialogues held Community members in attendance people reached through Facebook posts in 2021 *106% increase from 2020 new likes on Facebook people reached through Instagram posts in 2021 *140% increase from 2020 new followers on Instagram new followers on LinkedIn Twitter impressions
Maryam Montague (left) Mr. Luis Mora, UNFPA (right)
In 2021, we launched joint activities in partnership with the United Nations Population Fund Morocco We aim to fully realize the rights of teen girls in Morocco, particularly around access to education and health services, including menstrual hygiene products and management. Activities kicked off on May 28th, Menstrual Hygiene Day when we together: Many Moroccan teen girls suffer from poor menstrual hygiene due to poverty, social stigmas, limited access to menstrual products, and faulty school sanitation facilities. A recent study found that (Lghoul, Loukid, Hilali) This entailed a roundtable in Rabat on May 28th, 2021, with ministerial, government, and civil society officials gathered to discuss teen girl public health Our partnership continued when we 2021 activities culminated with a The campaign took place from October 11th, Day of the Girl Child, to December 11th, Human Rights Day, when a 2 minute video was debuted featuring the voiceover of Soar Girl Oumaima We plan to continue to scale with the UNFPA Morocco in 2022
UNFPA Morocco 2 national press conferences held in Rabat: 74 1 Million impressions from the digital campaign 11 May 28th, 2021: Menstrual Hygiene Day October 11th, 2021: Day of the Girl Child 148 10 to build a better enabling environment for Moroccan teen girls around menstrual hygiene and awareness. Our Goal:
“The celebration of Menstrual Hygiene Day is an opportunity to launch joint action with Project Soar to break down the barriers that prevent millions of adolescent girls from enjoying their rights and ensuring their healthy transition from childhood to adulthood.”
Mr. Luis Mora,
According to the UN Adolescent Girls Task Force, there are two key means to unleash girls’ potential: 1) Promote and empower adolescent girl leaders; and 2) Enhance Community Dialogue
It is proven that investing in girls creates a domino effect that yields multiple benefits, not only for individual girls, and the women they become; but for families, communities, and countries With funding from the Civil Society in Development (CISU) and Crossing Borders, Empowered Girls Dialogue (EGD) is designed to empower marginalized Moroccan teen girls to gain a voice for change on the factors that marginalise them in their everyday life Originally launched in 2020, EGD expanded in 2021 with: to support girls in leading dialogues in their own community anywhere With COVID 19 restrictions lifted in fall 2021, we held: With all of these learnings, Soar Community Dialogues were officially piloted in 2021: EGD also supports providing our core empowerment programming Soar in a Box for 180 total Soar Girls in 9 communities across Morocco, and supports girls to launch their own Soar Clubs 18 grassroots women facilitators are paid to implement the program in their own communities EGD's ultimate goal is:
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"Being a Soar Girl means having the responsibility of spreading awareness and changing misbeliefs within my society. I want to challenge the status quo and fix some of the issues that girls encounter." - Ghizlan
"I want to show my community that girls are not meant to only be in the house, but rather they can go to school and be future leaders. I want to help all girls have a better future."
FatimaEzzahra
"If you asked me the first day I stepped in the training center to plan a community dialogue I would have thought it was impossible for me, but now I am not afraid to plan and manage it alone " - Safa
"I am so motivated to make a change in my community. I hope one day I will be a feminist that all the world will know. " - Salma
"I want to help others challenge society’s taboos which diminishes their value " - Nour
Global
2017
Impact since
2,179 Soar Girls avoided child marriage 2,148 Soar Girls avoided dropping out of school 219 eligible Soar Girls pursued higher ed. 2,027 Soar Girls passed the school year 260 eligible Soar Girls passed the BAC 2 exam 185,100+ Hours of empowerment provided
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Syria
In 2021, Project Soar crossed borders with funding from the Swedish Postcode Foundation and three Syrian NGO partners to pilot Girls Soar in Syria. The program began with rigorous research led by Untold Research to adapt the Soar curriculum for internally displaced girls: Soar Girls Soar 11 14 173 So far the program resulted in: Focus groups conducted10 1 300 Baseline & Endline surveys administered Research report published Trained Soar Facilitators Soar in a Box Squads "Soar gives the girls a voice to be heard, a mindset to believe in themselves, and raises their self esteem in a place where hope and opportunity are minimal. The program reaches not only the girls, but the facilitators, the implementation team, the families, and all who have been involved in it."
Lin, Soar Syria Coordinator
- Soar Girl in Syria
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Soar Stories
Project Soar is a grassroots girls' rights movement. We know that real change takes time, so we establish meaningful relationships in the communities we work in, and provide a holistic program that helps girls realize their core values. This allows girls to implement new skills in their daily lives and troubleshoot with the help of their peers. As a Soar Girl progresses through each module, she undergoes a transformative process whereby she further develops her self-confidence; speaks up; embraces her adolescent body; fights for her rights; and sets future goals. Here are a few stories of how Soar is impacting teen girls.
Seeing the changes that Soukaina underwent while in the Soar program, her family realized that becoming a Soar Girl was a great way for their daughter to develop her personality and learn about her value, body and rights.
Soukaina
"Now I can talk to my father and family about everything like my emotions or my period." Since becoming a Soar Girl and completing the program this year, Soukaina gives back to other girls by interning at Soar HQ, registering new Soar Girls and leading workshops. Soukaina also has BIG plans for the future. She is a dedicated student and envisions pursuing a creative career by becoming a graphic designer. She's committed to improving her English, and wants to learn Italian and Korean, too! With her determination, we are certain Soukaina will achieve her dreams.
"Project Soar helps girls in every aspect of life, but especially with communicating, standing up for ourselves and exchanging ideas with friends, teachers and people from other cultures."
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After participating in Soar, Soukaina's favorite part of the program was the workshops in the Voice module, because it helped her find her voice and use it.
Soukaina's family was initially reluctant to let her join Project Soar. "Before attending the Soar workshops, I couldn't tell people how I felt, especially my father."
Fatima
"I committed myself to participating. I understood the importance of completing my education and continuing my studies during this program, and that it's my right to have access to education and study with my friends
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Fatima dropped out of school two years ago at age 16. "I thought that my family and society had the right to decide my future because I am a girl."
When Fatima heard about the Soar program at her community center in NW Syria, she asked her parents' permission to attend. They supported her since she spent most of her time at home. After attending the workshops in the first module, Voice, Fatima was encouraged.
Now, Fatima registered in school again and is confident that she will be able to excel and handle any challenges.
...I thought about returning to school, and I convinced my family that education is important to me and that I can succeed in school."
"I thank this program and the facilitators for motivating me to handle the obstacles I was facing. I will be able to achieve my goals,. This program gave us confidence, a group of friends, and changed our perspective on life for the better "
Soar Girls and Facilitators Leila and Hasna saw a lack of safe school transportation in their semi rural community of Biougra in southern Morocco. So after our training, they hosted their first Soar Dialogue in February 2021 to address this common barrier to education for girls.
After months of persistent outreach to local authorities and working through bureaucratic procedures in order to secure and fund a reliable school bus for daily student transport, We are pleased to report that their efforts were successful. Starting in fall 2021, the town of Biougra now offers transportation to the rural students in their community via the provision of two buses.
In this initial powerful Soar Dialogue in Biougra, 50 members of the community ranging from parents to local government officials and even the school director came together to hear how this challenge affects the girls in their community. This dialogue was so motivating that the attendees all came together and made an action plan for how to solve this issue.
Soar Girls in Biougra feel very proud of their success, as they know that this bus will prevent other girls from dropping out of school and therefore help prevent potential early or forced marriage.
Buses for Biougra
These two buses, which hold roughly 70 students total at one time, will continue to help improve teen girls' access school in a safe and reliable fashion for years to come.
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$5,000 - $9,999
Our Amazing $225,000+ Swedish
$1,000 - $4,999
Ernie and Jeanne Gabiati Canadian Foundation for Local Initiatives Jamie(CFLI) LuletaLeighMaslak
Soar staff and the Soar Girls are deeply thankful for the heartfelt gifts from all donors of 2021.
Jeremy and Kristin Andrus Family Foundation $10,000 - $24,999
MoroccanMarinLisaKarenJoelHurdMontagueL.NuccitelliMoriyamaCommunityFoundationCenterforInnovation
MMontagueMarkToddSusanneNelsonNancyMadelineHopkinsWeinribPendarvisHarrisHammellKarlanderWattersEckman&Peacock
Donors Postcode Foundation CISU Civil Society in Development & Crossing Borders Together Women Rise Trotula Fund $500 - $999 Indicates a Starling, or monthly donor
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Drift Home Collection, Nataliya Borener Eat Pray Move, Erin Lewis Frederick & Julia Cefalo Jill
Pavilions Shea Fontana
Barton Cynthia Cross Ellen Israel John
Chris CourtneyPayneSmith
Anna Beck Designs Cameron Family Foundation David Labourdette and Jamie Diamond David and LallaZi Mannix
and Social Entrepreneurship (MCISE) Path North Thierry Marchand TIBU Africa Bill and Melinda Gates Matching Funds Cooley-Fanning Family Fund Jeanne Cumby Jillian Korstrom Project Soar has expanded core programming and launched new initiatives in thanks to our supportive partners and generous contributors. We are particularly grateful for the generous support of the Swedish Postcode Foundation, which allowed us to adapt our solution for internally displaced girls in Syria, and for the continued commitment of the Moroccan government via the Ministry of Youth and ProjectSports.
$25,000 $50,000
23 Grants $158,931 Individuals $107,959 FamilyFoundations $35,500 Corporate $12,115 Grants $208,731 Corporate $4,728 Personnel $79,880 Grants $72,080 Contracts&Subgrants $21,098 Supplies&Equipment $17,575 Benefits $12,761 OtherDirectCosts $12,063 Personnel $88,461 Contractuals $36,348 Travel $30,252 Supplies $22,998 OtherDirectCosts $16,651 Benefits $16,031 INCOMING REVENUE - $ 527,964 $314,505 $213,459 OUTGOING EXPENSES - $431,906 $227,165 $210,741 & Financials U.S.501(c)3Association AssociationMoroccan U.S.501(c)3Association AssociationMoroccan
Marina Fanning, President Per Sjödell, Vice President Sarita Jha, Lalla-ZinebTreasurerelMazouni Mannix, Director Patrick Benjaminson, Director Jacqueline Asimwe, Director Caitlin Dowe- Sandes, Director Olayide Odediran, Director Medya Abdulhuseyin, Director (left to right) Maryam Montague Founder & Executive Director Kaydee Dahlin Director of Finance & Administration Chris Redecke, President Yasmina Sarhrouny, Vice President Aziz Nahas, Treasurer Tala Hadid, Director Sarah Mantah, Director (left to right) Tess Dunn Program Manager Fatima Chakir Finance & HR Manager Fatimaezzahra Amechnoug Finance Coordinator Fatima Ait Ouknik Senior Program Coordinator Kawtar Ait Malek Program Coordinator Warda Bouye Program Coordinator Kaoutar Arhenbou Program Coordinator Ibtisam Bousbibit Soar Syria & Special Programs Coordinator Ujala Syed Development Coordinator Jenna Lacey Development Coordinator Khadija Boulahcen Program Assistant Maha Idrissi Finance Assistant US Board Members Morocco Board Members Board Members Executive Staff HQ Staff Team Soar 24
CBiougraAzrouAAmizmizAkkaourirAtlasasablanca Ain Sbaa Casablanca Hay Mabrouka Casablanca Ria Alandalus Casablanca Sidi Moumen Chichaoua Sala Al Jadida Sidi Ifni Sidi Jaber Sidi Slimane Sidi Youssef Tan TinjdadTighoumarTangerTan 92 Soar Facilitators in Morocco 25 11 Soar Facilitators in NW Syria Douar Igoudar Douar Laadam El RichOuledNKelaaGuelmimFesFamKebabElHisnDesSraghna’ZalatBniAmarTeima 2021 sites in Morocco Morocco The Soar Movement is fueled by our dedicated staff, families of Soar Girls, volunteers, community leaders and allies, but especially our network of Soar Facilitators. We are deeply grateful for the tireless efforts of these grassroots women who serve as role models for Soar Girls in their own communities, who advocate for and empower Soar Girls, and who believe that Soar Girls are the leaders of today and tomorrow. We could not do this without you!
Facebook: @projectsoar Instagram: @projectoar Twitter: LinkedIn:@projectsoar@projectsoarDouarLaadamCaidatalOuidaneMarrakech40060giveback@projectsoar.org
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Did you know that ending child marriage could generate $500 billion in benefits annually each year? Our world cannot afford to miss out on the economic prospects that girls’ empowerment entails. By donating today, contribute to making the world a better place by empowering teen girls to become Teen girl’s is challenged in every way. With over 110 million girls at risk of child marriage in the next decade , so many girls are missing the chance to envision their At Project Soar, we know and believe that every Girl is Our signature empowerment program enables girls to realize their Value, Voice, Body, Rights and Path and higher than the hurdles placed in front of them. leaders of todayand tomorrow. to dreams
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capable Soar you Unicef, 2021 World Bank, 2021 1 2 2 1
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