SIMrise
At its inception in 2018 SIMrise, formerly known as SIMilili, focused on Kenyan communities and aimed at providing them with a better future. The founders of the project started by working with a community in the region of Kimilili, west of Kenya, in collaboration with a local NGO. Unfortunately, the emergence of transparency issues some years later prompted SIMilili16 to temporarily relocate the initiative to Bungoma, about 30km away from Kimilili.
Since the community centre in Bungoma benefits from government support, the following SIMilili teams chose to focus on communities that are in a state of greater need. Therefore, SIMilili17, following the advice of their partner NGO, decided to transform the initiative and start a new project in Kilifi, a county on the eastern coast of Kenya.
In turn, SIMilili18 chose to carry on with their predecessors’ work and aimed at building a chicken farm for the local Matsangoni community on land acquired by their local NGO partner. The overarching goal was to provide the community with a reliable, self-sustained source of income that will benefit the community at large, especially concerning children’s education. Last year, SIMilili19 completed the chicken farm project, finishing the construction and terminating the partnership with the local NGO.
The current generation of SIM20 students decided to bring SIMilili’s legacy to a new location, Cambodia, embarking in a new transformational project with the goal of supporting a school and community in the Kampong Chhnang province, 60 km north-east of the Cambodian capital Phnom Penh. The students teamed up with a new partner for the initiative, the Swiss NGO Smiling Gecko. With such core changes to the project that was Similili its members deemed it fitting to give the initiative a complete overhaul. Going forward, SIMilili will be SIMrise to symbolize the rise of the community in Cambodia.
Transitioning from SIMilili in Kenya to SIMrise in Cambodia, our revitalized initiative is deeply rooted in sustainable development and community upliftment. By relocating to Cambodia and having a new partner with Smiling Gecko, we aim for enhanced impact and alignment with select United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, particularly quality education, sustainable agriculture and health. SIMrise will contribute to the development of the local school established by Smiling Gecko. Agriculture holds a pivotal position in Cambodia's economic and social structure; to augment the agricultural education of the students, SIMrise’s plan is to establish a greenhouse on the premises. Through direct community engagement and strong local partnerships, SIMrise aims for commitment, collaboration, and positive change in the region.
Marketing: Bianca Garibaldi-Devoto and Joonas Bergman
Finance and Fundraising: Lea Bonilla, Lukas Dietachmair, and Vitus Horneffer
Communication and Parterships: Caroline Klaris, Douglas Marangon, and Federico Martelli