Our 2024/25 Tanzania Mission: What We Achieved at Igoma C Primary School
At the end of January 2025, part of the SIMpowering team travelled to Igoma C Primary School in Mwanza, Tanzania. Over one intense week, we implemented a programme that combined menstrual health education and practical sewing workshops for roughly 200 students aged 10–12.
Our goals for the week
Guided by months of preparation and our Interim Report plans, we set four main goals for our time on the ground:
- Provide age-appropriate education on menstruation, hygiene and puberty.
- Include boys in the conversation to reduce stigma and bullying.
- Teach girls and teachers how to sew reusable pads using durable sewing machines.
- Strengthen local ownership so the project continues long after our visit.
1. Menstrual health education for girls and boys
Throughout the week, we ran interactive sessions on topics such as what menstruation is, how to maintain hygiene during periods, and mutual respect between genders. Girls were split into rotating groups so that each one could attend both educational sessions and sewing workshops. Boys joined their own series of classes to learn about menstruation, respect and supportive behaviour.
What surprised us most was the openness and participation of the boys. Many engaged actively, asked thoughtful questions and supported their female classmates. Breaking the taboo by including them, rather than excluding them, became one of the key success factors of the week.
2. Sewing workshops: building practical skills
In parallel to the education sessions, we set up several sewing stations with manually operated sewing machines and locally sourced fabrics. With the support of teachers, girls learned step by step how to:
- cut the different layers of fabric,
- assemble and sew the reusable pad insert,
- create a “pocket” holder and attach buttons,
- care for and wash the pads properly.
The atmosphere quickly shifted from shyness to excitement. Students started teaching each other new techniques, fixing mistakes together and proudly showing their finished pads. Teachers joined in, refining their own sewing skills while supporting the girls.
Beyond pads, these skills have wider value: sewing machines can now be used to repair school uniforms and may even open small income opportunities for the community in the future.
3. Teacher involvement and feedback
From the first day, we treated teachers as co-creators rather than passive participants. We co-designed the curriculum with them, adjusted our approach to the class dynamics and held a dedicated workshop focused on using and maintaining the sewing machines.
In the feedback session at the end of the week, teachers highlighted several outcomes they considered especially valuable:
- Students gained practical life skills in sewing and menstrual hygiene.
- Girls were more confident and willing to ask questions.
- Some students showed hidden talents and leadership qualities.
- There is strong interest in continuing pad-making and using the machines for repairs.
4. Laying the foundation for long-term impact
Our work in Mwanza was never meant to be a one-off intervention. Together with our local partner Kishosha and the NGO A Bleistift For Everyone, we have:
- left sewing machines and remaining materials at the school,
- created handbooks on menstrual health and pad-making for teachers,
- agreed to stay in touch to monitor how the machines and materials are used,
- set aside funds to support maintenance and additional fabric when needed.
We also prepared a handover to the next SIM generation so they can build on this foundation — whether by supporting Igoma C further or expanding to a nearby secondary school where older girls can also benefit from the sewing skills.
Looking ahead
The week in Tanzania confirmed one of our core beliefs: when communities receive both knowledge and tools, change becomes self-sustaining. Igoma C Primary School now has the resources, skills and motivation to continue this work — and our role is to keep supporting, learning and amplifying their efforts.