The New York Times
Maryam Montague, who started a program to empower girls in Morocco.Natalie Keyssar for The New York Times
DOUAR LAADAM, Morocco — In a tiny Moroccan village on the outskirts of Marrakesh, dozens of teenage girls wrapped up a session of after-school activities by shouting affirmations: “I am strong! I am smart! I am capable!” they cried out. “I am a leader! I am a feminist!”
Such a scene might be unremarkable in the West. But it is extraordinary for this Muslim-majority country in North Africa, especially in Douar Laadam, a poor, semirural village where many teenage girls drop out of school around puberty to marry and start families.
Maryam Montague — a former humanitarian aid worker turned hotelier, designer and self-described “social entrepreneur” — came up with the idea of giving these girls a voice through a program she created, Project Soar.
“No country can get ahead if it leaves 50 percent of its population behind. The future must be powered by strong women,” said Ms. Montague, an American expatriate who lives in Morocco. “Investing in a teen girl is investing in 40-plus years of a productive future.”
