Government schools are only basically funded and Ethiopia has an expanding population, 70% of whom are under age 21. Although schooling is now available to all, often demand exceeds supply and schools are overcrowded with one teacher to upwards of 50 students. School funding allows one pencil per student for the whole year but nothing more and the students are too poor to purchase more supplies. Resources commonplace to most western students are shared or simply not available and improvise

By supplying young students with basic pencil cases (cases are made on site and supplies purchased locally to help support the local economy) this encourages them to want to achieve and with recognition of their learning potential, despite their poverty, also helps to elevate their self esteem and they do not feel helpless or forgotten in conditions of often severe and tragic adversity, in one of the worlds most poor countries...This small action has a productive impact on their education.