How SIMpowering Began: From Student Vision to Impact
SIMpowering didn’t start with sewing machines, workshops or reusable pads. It began with a simple realization shared by SIM students: it is unacceptable that thousands of girls around the world still miss school, dignity and opportunities simply because they menstruate.
The first steps: from PERIOD. to SIMpowering
As shown in the “History of SIMpowering” timeline on our project poster, the initiative started in 2020 under the name PERIOD. as part of the SIMagination Challenge. Early teams partnered with projects in Zimbabwe and Kenya, supported large menstrual cup campaigns and even introduced free menstrual products in St. Gallen university restrooms.
In 2022, the initiative was rebranded to SIMpowering to reflect a broader mission: not only to fight period poverty, but to empower girls and women by combining access to products with education and long-lasting skills.
Taking over the initiative as a new team
When our cohort took over SIMpowering through the SIMagination Challenge, we inherited both a legacy and a responsibility. Earlier generations had laid the groundwork, but fundraising structures, documentation and handover processes needed to be rebuilt and sharpened. Following the SIMagination Challenge agreement, we committed to full transparency in finances and a responsible handover to future cohorts.
In our Interim Report we describe how we moved from informal task-sharing to a more professional set-up: shared timelines, clear accountability, and structured fundraising tracking. At the same time, our motivation evolved from “raising awareness” to creating something more tangible and durable for the community.
Why Tanzania? Why reusable pads?
After exploring several options, we chose to focus on Mwanza, Tanzania, with the help of our NGO partner A Bleistift For Everyone. This partnership gave us local knowledge, trusted contacts and enough flexibility to design a project tailored to the community rather than importing a one-size-fits-all solution.
Among many possible interventions, we decided to centre SIMpowering on reusable pad-making and menstrual education. This approach addresses period poverty on two levels: it helps girls manage their periods safely today, and it equips them with skills and tools that remain in the community long after our physical presence ends.
From project to movement
Looking back, SIMpowering is more than a student project attached to a single academic year. It is a growing movement within the SIM community and a living example of what the SIMagination Challenge is about: building something that outlasts the original team, is handed over responsibly and continues to evolve with each generation of students and partners.
This blog is our way of documenting that journey — so that what we build, learn and sometimes struggle with doesn’t get lost, but becomes the foundation for the next chapter of SIMpowering.