Mbedza

What Mbedza does

Mbedza Projects Support is a UK-registered charity (No.1162581, England and Wales) headquartered nominally in Stafford with operational headquarters in Malawi (Zomba and Monkey Bay districts). The organization delivers integrated poverty-prevention programmes across four pillars — Education, Livelihoods, Environment, and Health — serving orphans, girls and young women, rural households, HIV-affected communities, and smallholder farmers in southern Malawi. Its core products include the Esperanza fixed fuel-efficient stove (12+ year lifespan, reducing firewood consumption up to 65%), the MOEP secondary-education sponsorship programme (86 students in 2025-2026), community tree planting across six nurseries (35,000 trees in 2025), washable sanitary kits for girls (1,720+ distributed since 2021), door-to-door HIV testing and counselling (3,362 sessions in 2025), and the Tiyeni deep-bed farming method (12-225% yield improvement).

Technically, Mbedza's delivery model depends on local Malawian staff embedded in villages — HIV counsellors, stove builders, tree monitoring officers, and Hope Ambassadors youth — rather than proprietary software or hardware. The Esperanza stove and the Tiyeni method constitute the organization's principal 'technology' in the form of physical designs and agronomic protocols. A separate Belgian community (officially registered 2025) supports European fundraising alongside UK activities.

The business model is a charitable donation and grant-funded NGO. Revenue streams comprise individual donations, recurring student sponsorships (UK and Belgium), the annual Big Give matched campaign, foundation grants (e.g., Coles-Medlock), and corporate CSR packages (via Work to Give), supplemented by event fundraising (Garden Parties, Virtual London Marathon, school Classroom Challenges). No revenue, expense, or budget figures are publicly disclosed in the source material. The organization is not investment-grade in the conventional sense — it is impact-mission driven, operates at small scale (6 paid employees), and depends on donor goodwill, foundation grants, and recurring sponsorships for financial sustainability.

Name

Mbedza

Legal name

Mbedza Projects Support

Website

https://mbedza.org

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Mbedza is a UK-registered charity (No.1162581) operating integrated poverty-prevention programmes in rural Malawi across education, livelihoods, environment, and health. It delivers fuel-efficient stoves, orphan secondary-school sponsorship, tree planting, HIV testing, and sanitary kits to underserved communities in Zomba and Monkey Bay.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Charitable Poverty Relief Services

NAICS

Community Food and Housing, and Emergency and Other Relief Services (6242), Child and Youth Services (62411), Educational Support Services (611710), Emergency and Other Relief Services (62423), Community Food Services (624210)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300), Services-Educational Services (8200), Services-Misc Health & Allied Services, Nec (8090)

akta.pro primary industry

International & Local Implementing NGOs (HLAJAKAD)

akta.pro secondary industries

International Development & Donor-Funded Education Programs (EDADALAB), NGO/Nonprofit Education Programs & Service Delivery (EDADALAC), Humanitarian Health & Emergency Medical Relief NGOs (HLAJAKAE), Nutrition & Food Security (Global Health) NGOs (HLAJAKAH)

Keywords

• Community development NGO
• Fuel-efficient cookstoves
• Orphan education sponsorship
• Rural HIV outreach
• Tree planting programmes

Headquarters

HQ city

Zomba

HQ country

Malawi

HQ region

Africa

Offices6 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Supply Chain, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Individual Donations: General donations from individuals supporting Mbedza's programs. Donations can be directed to specific programs (e.g., sanitary, stoves) via the website.
2. Student Sponsorship: Monthly or annual sponsorship of orphans in the MOEP education programme. Sponsors from UK and Belgium support individual students through secondary education.
3. Christmas Big Give Campaign: Annual matched funding campaign (typically in November/December) where donations are doubled through the Big Give platform.
4. Corporate Social Responsibility Packages: Partnership with Work to Give providing businesses with CSR packages linked to tree planting in Malawi, enabling carbon footprint offsetting.
5. Foundation Grants: Funding from foundations such as Coles-Medlock Foundation for specific programs like girls' education support.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Mbedza is a UK-registered charity that designs and delivers community development programmes in Malawi across four strategic pillars: education (orphan secondary school sponsorship through MOEP), livelihoods/health (HIV testing, counselling, washable sanitary kits, food resilience, maize mill, textiles), environment (Esperanza fuel-efficient stoves and tree planting), and youth leadership (Hope Ambassadors). Programmes are delivered directly by Malawian staff, with operations at the Songani Hope & Wellness Centre in Zomba and stove-building sites around Monkey Bay, funded by individual donations, sponsorships, foundation grants and corporate CSR partnerships.

Product overview

Mbedza is a UK-registered charity (No.1162581) operating in Malawi focused on poverty prevention and relief through four strategic areas: education, livelihoods, environment, and health. The organization offers a portfolio of interconnected programmes including fuel-efficient cooking stoves (Esperanza fixed stoves and GTS portable stoves), tree planting with community nurseries, the MOEP orphan secondary education programme supporting approximately 86 students, community health services including HIV testing and counselling, sanitary kit production and distribution, Hope Ambassadors youth leadership training, food resilience initiatives, nursery education, and a community maize mill. Additional supporting services include group visits, volunteer opportunities, and individual sponsorship. The organization operates primarily in Zomba and Monkey Bay areas of Malawi.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Fuel-Efficient Stoves (Esperanza and GTS) Fixed and portable fuel-efficient cooking stoves (Esperanza fixed stove with 10+ year lifespan and GTS portable stoves) distributed to rural Malawian families, reducing firewood consumption by up to 65%, saving 52 hours per month of collection time, and preventing burn injuries. 1,022 stoves built in 2025.
• Tree Planting Programme Community tree nursery and woodlot programme providing saplings for carbon offsetting, deforestation reversal and CSR partnership fulfilment. Includes the Tiyeni deep-bed farming method training. Six nurseries produced an expected 30,500 saplings for the 2025-2026 season.
• MOEP Orphan Secondary Education Programme Comprehensive orphan secondary education sponsorship programme for vulnerable Malawian children, covering school fees, exam fees, shoes, uniform, school equipment, food, emotional support, safeguarding and home support. Achieves a 64% MSCE girls' pass rate versus 54% national average.
• Community Health Services (HIV Testing and Counselling) Door-to-door HIV testing and counselling, self-test kit distribution (2,700 kits in 2025), ART awareness, condom distribution (55,000+ in 2025) and prevention of mother-to-child transmission programmes targeted at high-prevalence Malawi districts.
• Sanitary Kit Programme Reusable washable sanitary kits (lasting up to two years) with bundled sex and relationship education for school-age girls in rural Malawi, designed to keep girls in school. 1,131 kits distributed in 2025 alongside education sessions.
• Hope Ambassadors Youth Leadership Programme Youth leadership award scheme with training in leadership, entrepreneurship, drama/theatre and sports, producing peer-led community outreach on HIV prevention, health education and other charitable activities.
• Food Resilience Programme Agricultural support combining Tiyeni deep-bed farming training with distribution of maize, pawpaw seedlings and sweet potato vines to vulnerable households to address food insecurity.
• Chiyambi Nursery Education Early childhood education services at Chiyambi Nursery providing foundational learning for young children in the Zomba community.
• Community Maize Mill Community maize mill offering discounted milling rates and fair wages for workers, delivering an essential food processing service to local Malawi communities.
• Textiles Programme Sewing skills training and textile production of sanitary kits and other community goods, supported by sewing machines including those donated by the Rotary Vesale Brussels Club.
• Group Visits to Malawi Organised visit programmes for individuals and supporter groups to experience Mbedza's projects firsthand and engage with communities in Malawi.

Quantifiable outcome

• Up to 65% less firewood consumption with Esperanza stove
• +5 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles6 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Work to GivecoreGTM or Marketing PartnerWork to Give provides businesses with Corporate Social Responsibility packages linked to multiple charities including Mbedza. Mbedza provides tree planting programmes that offset corporate carbon footprints while alleviating poverty. First Work to Give woodlot started at Chiunde village.
• Manor CE AcademycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLong-standing partnership with school in York. Students support Songani Community Centre through non-uniform day donations. 36 students visited Malawi and brought 36 fully equipped school bags for MOEP students. Regular UK presentations and ongoing financial support.
• Rotary Vesale Brussels ClubminorGTM or Marketing PartnerDonated 8 new pedal machines and 1 electric machine for sanitary kit production. Special thanks to Sue Bird, Associate Director for Mbedza based in Brussels, for facilitating this initiative.
• Sustainable Global Gardens (Paul Keeley)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerIntroduced Tiyeni method (deep beds farming) to Mbedza. Paul Keeley returns regularly to provide Kitchen Garden training and ongoing support. Method showing 12-225% yield improvements.
• Khudza Mitima CICminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerGap programme organization that facilitated volunteer placements in Malawi. Operates Gap Project house in Zomba. Supported volunteer experiences including Amber and Tilly.
• The Sparkle FoundationminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership for stove building. Mwayi Mpinganjira, country director, attended Mbedza's Hope Ambassadors graduation. Also hosts youth sporting tournaments.
• Sparkle FoundationminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerOrganised sporting success event for Hope Ambassadors end of year tournament.

Scale indicators11 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Ripple Effect (formerly Send a Cow): UK-registered international development NGO working in rural sub-Saharan Africa on integrated livelihoods, sustainable farming, and community development. Highly comparable to Mbedza in mission, funding model (individual donations, sponsorship), and integrated education/livelihoods focus.
• Plan International UK: UK-based international children's charity working in Malawi on education, child protection, and youth empowerment. Highly comparable in sponsor-a-child funding model, girls' education focus, and Malawi geographic footprint, though much larger.
• Tree Aid: UK-registered charity working on tree planting, land restoration, and fuel-efficient cookstoves across the African Sahel. Closely comparable to Mbedza's environment pillar (tree planting + stoves) and UK donor base.
• ActionAid UK: UK affiliate of ActionAid International with long-standing Malawi programmes on women's rights, education, and poverty alleviation. Comparable in geographic focus (Malawi), integrated women-and-girls programming, and individual sponsorship/donation revenue model.
• Khudza Mitima CIC: Small UK-Malawi community organisation running gap-year and education programmes in Zomba. Directly comparable as a small UK-registered entity focused on Malawi education and volunteer programmes; current Mbedza partner.
• The Sparkle Foundation: Small UK/Malawi charity operating in similar Malawi geographies with youth, education, and community programmes. Already an active Mbedza partner; directly comparable in size, mission, and beneficiary profile.
• Tools for Self Reliance: UK-registered charity supporting livelihoods and skills training in Africa. Comparable as a small UK charity with African operational footprint, donor-supported model, and integrated livelihoods/skills focus.
• Mary's Meals: UK-headquartered charity feeding school children across Malawi and other low-income countries. Directly comparable as a UK-registered charity with large-scale school-feeding programme in Malawi, similar donor base, and recurring individual giving model.
• Concern Worldwide UK: UK-based international development and humanitarian NGO with active Malawi programming in livelihoods, health, and education. Directly comparable mission, multi-sector approach, and UK donor-funding model, though materially larger.
• SOS Children's Villages UK: UK-registered international NGO supporting orphaned and abandoned children in Malawi and across Africa. Directly comparable in orphan care, sponsorship funding model, and Malawi operations, though operating at much greater scale.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/mbedzamalawi

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles7 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Mbedza