From a spark to a bonfire

In many schools, sexual harassment is treated like an uncomfortable status quo, a topic mentioned with haste and then set aside, or something that “doesn’t happen here.” Silence can feel like the safest choice for institutions. For students, it often means the opposite

This collaboration began with a shared determination to gather research that could spark a more practical dialogue. Maryam Montague’s (Ashoka Fellow, Morocco) Project Soar and Michael ElNemais Fawzy (Ashoka Fellow, Egypt) of Taqet Amal Foundation for Development (TAFD) met through an Ashoka retreat that, as Maryam put it, was “not just a lot of blah, blah, blah”, but was incredibly “hands-on”, which helped Fellows find collaborators. Maryam had noticed Michael’s experience with schools and saw a shared vision aligned with Project Soar’s interest in working directly with educational institutes.

The gap schools could not answer

Early on, the pair invested time in a comprehensive desk review. What stood out was not an absence of commentary on sexual harassment, but the lack of school-based research around the topic. Michael explained why this matters: without a “reference point”, even a percentage is hard to interpret. If you do not have “something scientific you can build on”, you can’t tell whether a problem is worsening or make cross-cultural comparisons.

Maryam echoed the gap from Morocco, where existing research had only focused on harassment in public spaces, such as streets and not within schools. Yet schools play a dual role of not only being social environments but also institutions governed by trust, where young people learn what power looks like and where changemakers should be able to emerge safely. That is where credible research is thin, and where prevention needs it most.

Designing for change

Because the topic is sensitive, accessibility became a central design question: how can schools agree to accept research being done? Before selecting students, Maryam and Michael built the questionnaire together, going back and forth on scenario and question design. From there, each Fellow tailored implementation to what was institutionally possible in their respective contexts.

Maryam decided to engage with the system for a systemic change. Project Soar partnered with the National Federation of Parents' Associations to gain access to five public schools and a sample of 2,664 students. She described transparency as a central safeguard, exemplified through school directors being shown the survey in advance so that they know what questions would be asked.

In Egypt, Michael collaborated with Face NGO to facilitate institutional access and have a sample of 100 male students who had personally experienced or witnessed acts of sexual harassment. This was important as it allowed the study to concentrate on adolescents with direct exposure to harassment dynamics, but also speaks to prevention. If schools are to reduce harm, they need a clearer picture of how adolescents interpret what they see. This returns to the theme of gathering evidence that helps institutions understand what they are not adequately equipped to address.

The bonfire

The findings were stark. In Morocco, 46.7% of respondents showed a clear understanding of what constitutes sexual harassment, and girls were far more likely than boys to view it as a serious threat. Whereas in Egypt, despite higher awareness among boys, peer dynamics and “just a joke” framing have normalised harm.

So how did the spark between these two Fellows burn brighter from this Collaboration?

First, it created demand for tools, as Michael had shared that Face was now requesting a sexual harassment prevention toolkit, already paving the way for actionable steps grounded in the research. Numbers have painted a picture, so now it’s about what “you do with the numbers.”

Secondly, the research surfaced how unprepared many systems are to respond. Many had been trained “just on how to manage physical fights”, said Mariam, but had “no training or orientation at all related to sexual harassment”. When findings pointed to serious concerns, including reports involving teachers, she explained that schools often “didn’t even know what to do with the information” and that responses could default to denial or transfers. This insight brought her to focus on prevention.

Project Soar used the findings to apply to Grand Challenges Canada and is now in negotiations for 250,000 Canadian dollars to pilot a teacher-training system and referral pathway in five schools. She captures it perfectly that “The collaboration grant is really the proof that 1+1 = 3.”

The research produced can now strengthen the foundations of the school as an institution, where prevention can be built, harm reduced and changemakers can emerge and light their very own sparks.

Ashoka’s Collaboration Grant:

Ashoka’s Collaboration Grant is a small, flexible fund (up to $5,000) designed to help social entrepreneurs and Ashoka Fellows put their minds together to work on a short, practical collaboration that builds real capacity, not just a one-off activity. Teams are typically 2-4 people (with at least one Ashoka Fellow), must co-design and co-implement the work, and deliver it within 12 months. The grant can cover travel, research, training and producing shared outputs (e.g., reports, toolkits, etc.), with a focus on peer-to-peer learning, skills exchange and relationships that continue beyond the grant period.