On July 30, 2026, we held a workshop at Wakuwaku Mirai Lab in Kyoto Prefecture, where participants made Likuni Phala (porridge served in Malawian school meal programs) and created original labels for Malawian coffee!

The aim of the workshop was to deepen participants’ geographical and cultural understanding of Malawi in Africa through videos, photos, and personal experiences shared by our staff, as well as to help them realize how a single school meal can empower children’s futures. Through this experience, our primary goal was to encourage Japanese children to look out at the world and gain a hands-on feel for the differences in children’s living conditions and diets by actually preparing, viewing, and eating the same meal.

In the second half, participants learned about Malawian coffee and its farms, which serve as a connection from Japan to supporting school meal programs. During this time, some elementary school students got to touch actual burlap coffee sacks that arrived at Yokohama Port from Malawi, and some even climbed inside a 30 kg sack! We also talked about how coffee yields from currently famous producing countries might decline by the time today’s elementary students grow up, potentially leading to Malawian coffee being used more widely in Japan. This offered a great chance to reflect on the future of sustainable industries.

Furthermore, as part of experiencing Malawian culture, some participants tried wrapping chitenje (a traditional local fabric) around themselves as clothing, while others shared creative ideas for games that could be played using the cloth.

Finally, to see what actions the children themselves could take, they drew illustrations based on what they learned onto small coffee label stickers to create original products.
A project was also launched to try selling these products on the university campus of our student staff members.

Through hands-on workshops like this, we will continue to create opportunities for people to feel closer to Malawi, connect with the world from Japan, and take action!