To help improve the situation in Ethiopia, illy caffè joined forces with Share Our Strength and Save the Children by providing funding to build the illy Community School in Ethiopia where almost 90 students are currently enrolled. illy has been a national sponsor of Share our Strength for four years and part of each year's funding is earmarked to help the disadvantaged in coffee growing countries. "Six years ago the government of Ethiopia and the Ministry of Education were not ready to support community school programs until they saw what an impact our pilot program had," explained Dennis Walto, of Save the Children. "Today they are as excited about community school programs as we are. The illy Community School is providing a great service to the community of Moyale Woreda."

Even before the current crisis, illy recognized that to ensure a consistent supply of top quality beans, they needed to work directly with farmers to improve their skills and reward quality by paying a premium price. Ethiopia produces some of the world's best coffee and yet is suffering from severe deprivation. illy believes that education is essential to building a better life.