What We Learned: Teamwork, Culture and Transformation in Action

SIMpowering has been a journey of logistics, fundraising and workshops — but also a journey of people. Behind the numbers and outcomes, our team went through conflicts, hard conversations and powerful moments of connection that shaped who we are and how the project looks today.

1. Learning to embrace uncertainty in the local context

Our preparation for Tanzania followed a very European logic: detailed plans, strict timelines and the ambition to control as many variables as possible. Reality challenged that mindset. Communication with local contacts was sometimes patchy, timelines moved, and conditions on site didn’t always match our expectations.

Instead of resisting this, we learned to adapt. We accepted that flexibility and improvisation — for example, adjusting session content last minute with teachers or troubleshooting sewing machines on the fly — were not signs of poor planning but part of working respectfully in a different cultural setting.

2. Redefining “impact” and “empowerment”

At the start, it was tempting to measure our success mainly through numbers: how many pads we produced, how many workshops we ran, how many francs we raised. Over time, especially during the week at Igoma C Primary School, our view of impact deepened.

We saw transformation in quieter moments:

• a girl confidently explaining to her peers how to use a pad she had sewn herself,
• a boy standing up to challenge period-related bullying,
• a teacher proudly operating a sewing machine for the first time,
• students staying after class to keep practising.

These experiences shifted our understanding of empowerment. It became clear that the real impact of SIMpowering is not the number of pads we directly produce, but the confidence, skills and agency that stay with the community.

3. What we take with us

Looking back at the last year, we are proud of what SIMpowering has become — but even more grateful for what it has taught us:

• how to work through conflict without losing sight of the bigger purpose,
• how to listen deeply to local partners and adapt our plans,
• how humility and persistence are just as important as expertise,
• and how a student initiative can grow into something that connects generations of SIM students and communities across continents.

Our mission is to build on these lessons, improve where we fell short and continue pushing SIMpowering forward — always with the same goal in mind: Empower girls, transform futures.