Seibo Japan is on a mission to feed every hungry child in the world a hot meal at school. As part of Giving Tuesday Japan’s Charity Spotlight, we introduced how this international non-profit organization is dedicated to its goal.
The organization focuses its efforts on providing school meals in Malawi—a country known as the "Warm Heart of Africa"—which faces unique challenges as one of the world's poorest nations.
In this blog, we’ll explore the beginnings of Seibo Japan, why Malawi is the focus of its work, and the impact it has on thousands of children and young families.
How Seibo Japan Began
Every charity and business has a founding story. For Tony Smith, the founder of Seibo Japan and Mobell Communications, that story began in a rural farming family in the UK. After working as a schoolteacher, Tony was invited by a friend to visit Medjugorje, a pilgrimage site in Bosnia. Despite his busy schedule, he took a chance and went. There, he experienced what he describes as a near-spiritual awakening. While climbing Mount Krizevac in Medjugorje, he reflected on his life and how he could contribute more to the world. This led him to the idea of "Doing Charity by Doing Business"—leveraging business methods to implement charitable initiatives.
This philosophy became the foundation for his work. While expanding his business, Tony visited Malawi and asked local women what they needed most. Expecting answers like food or shelter, he was surprised when they replied, "We need jobs for young people." Their forward-thinking mindset left a lasting impression on him.
In response, he established the Beehive Vocational Training Center in 2007 in Chilomoni, Blantyre, Malawi. This hub for community development focuses on poverty alleviation through job creation, quality education, and support for the most vulnerable. The center's social enterprises, including Beehive Construction and Beetech, reflect Tony's background in rental and shared-economy business models.
Building on this foundation, Tony launched several charitable projects under the Krizevac Project, named after the mountain in Medjugorje that had inspired his journey into charity.
From 2011 to 2015, a Japanese NGO provided school meal support in Malawi, but the project ended in 2015. That same year, devastating floods led to a rise in child mortality. Tony, the Beehive staff, and UK volunteers in Malawi initiated a school meal program, which became the foundation for Seibo Malawi.
To connect Malawi's initiatives with Japan, Tony established Seibo Japan in January 2015 (later registered as an official NPO), believing that such efforts could bring significant positive change to both countries.
Why Malawi?
Malawi, often called the "Warm Heart of Africa," is a vibrant country in Southeast Africa, bordered by Mozambique, Zambia, and Tanzania. Malawi is known for its vast plains, rolling highlands, and expansive Lake Malawi, the country also has an extremely young population, with nearly 45% of its citizens under the age of 15. With a population of around 21.1 million and growing at a rate of 2.6%, the population is projected to exceed 37 million by 2050 (World Health Organization, 2023).
![Figure 1. Map of Malawi showing the provinces and districts. Available from: https://www.researchgate.net/figure/Map-of-Malawi-showing-the-provinces-and-districts_fig1_241729515 [accessed 15 Feb 2025]](https://static.wixstatic.com/media/65b9a1_6f6608d6ea1845d185d8a7bbf4152b26~mv2.png/v1/fill/w_850,h_1156,al_c,q_90,enc_avif,quality_auto/65b9a1_6f6608d6ea1845d185d8a7bbf4152b26~mv2.png)
While this growing population holds potential, Malawi faces serious nutritional challenges. Across the country, 37% of children experience stunted growth (low height for their age, a sign of chronic undernutrition), 12% are underweight for their age (pg. 161, 2015-16 Malawi Demographic & Health Survey), and 39 out of 100 children are at risk of cognitive and physical limitations that can last a lifetime (Human Capital Country Brief, 2023).
Seibo Japan recognizes the importance of proper nutrition in a child's education. A nutritious meal not only provides energy for learning but also encourages children to attend school and complete their eight years of primary school education. By addressing malnutrition, Seibo Japan aims to give Malawian children the opportunity to thrive and contribute meaningfully to their communities.
Japan and Malawi: Ties Beyond Distance
While Japan and Malawi may not seem closely connected at first glance, the two countries share significant ties. Following the 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake, the city of Tono in Iwate Prefecture sent rice flour to Malawi as part of a recovery initiative. In return, Malawi provided financial aid to Japan, a gesture officially recognized by the Japanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Now, Malawi hosts one of the largest contingents of Japanese volunteers from JICA (Japan International Cooperation Agency) in Africa.
Through Seibo Japan, the organization aims to cultivate a culture of giving in Japan, reminiscent of the international food aid that sustained the country after World War II—support that helped shape a generation instrumental in Japan’s economic growth.
Currently, Seibo Japan is led by Chairman and Manager Makoto Yamada, and a key focus area for Seibo Japan is forming partnerships with Japanese high schools and international schools. Through these collaborations, Seibo hopes to inspire young students to recognize global challenges and take action. There have been 30 school partnerships and counting in Japan, encouraging students to engage in NPO and social impact work. One example of their social impact work is Warm Hearts Coffee Club, a donation-based coffee sales brand that sells coffee from Malawi, from which the proceeds go back to those in Malawi.
School Meals in Malawi: How It Works
Seibo provides school lunches for 16,000 children daily. But what does school feeding look like in action? Corn is Malawi’s staple food, so Seibo provides Likuni Phala, a corn-based powdered ingredient blended with sugar, which can be eaten as porridge. It contains essential nutrients recommended by the UN World Food Programme. However, transporting the Likuni Phala to remote regions, especially mountainous areas, is a significant logistical challenge due to high transportation costs and limited accessibility.
The Seibo Malawi team consists of staff members and volunteers including Program Supervisor Victor Mthulo, Communications Officer Future Namacha, and Director Sawako Nevin. They train local volunteers to cook the porridge, manage food storage, and distribute meals to children. When it comes to cooking the porridge, fuel-efficient rocket stoves surrounded by brick walls are used to prepare meals, reducing reliance on firewood.
Seibo Japan’s Impact: Stories from Malawi
Seibo Japan serves schools across different regions, including Kazengo Primary School and St. Paul’s Primary School in Mzimba District (Northern Region) and Tivwirane Kindergarten and Agape Kindergarten in Blantyre District (Southern Region). As of November 2024, Seibo Japan had provided an enormous total of 337,297 meals to children.
Makoto Yamada explains the impact on students: Many wake up early to complete household chores before walking long distances to collect water from boreholes. By 7:30 am, they arrive at school, where they clean the grounds before receiving their morning meal at 9 am. A nutritious meal allows them to focus in class and engage in activities like netball before heading home for more chores.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, children were given bags of Likuni Phala to prepare at home due to early school closures. In some areas, local power generators provide electricity, but in others, daily activities halt by 6 pm due to a lack of power.
The impact of school meals is profound. A School Health and Nutrition (SHN) teacher at Mzimba LEA Primary School shared, "For many children, school meals are the happiest moment of their day. These meals don’t just satisfy hunger—they help students focus better in class."
Seibo’s work has transformed lives. One of the students at St. Paul’s Primary School in Mzimba, shared, "Thanks to these meals, I can now focus on my favorite subject—science." Another young peer, who previously missed school frequently due to household responsibilities, now dreams of becoming a nurse. Energized by the school meals, these students have the opportunity to actively participate in sports, too.
Single mother Judith expressed gratitude for Seibo’s support: "Because of Seibo, my child could continue attending school and made amazing progress."
How Can I Get Involved?
Guided by the belief that “we make a living by what we get, but we make a life by what we give,” Seibo Japan connects people globally to make a difference. By investing in education, developing innovative business and social enterprise models, and feeding children in need, Seibo proves that positive change is possible. Feeding the Future: Seibo Japan
To learn more and get involved, visit Seibo Japan’s website and follow their journey on social media.
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