At Iwakura High School in Tokyo, students lead the “Senbazuru Project”—an initiative where they collaborate directly with local businesses and community partners. Driven by a meaningful vision, the school aspires to accomplish 1,000 of these student-led projects in the future. As an NPO, Seibo has had the privilege of partnering with them for three years as of 2026, facilitating a variety of student-centered activities.

One of these key initiatives is a design competition to choose the packaging label for Malawian drip coffee bags. Drawing on what they learn from Seibo staff, student groups channel both their creativity and marketing strategy into designing these labels. In the competition held on August 23, 2026, five team designs were presented, with students sharing the vision, strategic rationale, and behind-the-scenes effort behind each work.

The winning design will be featured on the coffee bags sold at the upcoming school festival, with proceeds directly supporting school meal programs in Malawi. The remaining designs will also be actively used in booth exhibitions and event posters. By experiencing both joy and disappointment through this competitive process—and analyzing the reasons behind those results—the students’ initiatives continue to mature and grow.

Seibo remains committed to supporting Malawi alongside young students in Japan, while delivering meaningful educational value to junior high and high schools across the country.