Barefoot College

Hello, we are the Barefoot College. While that is the name we are known by, our official name is the Social Work and Research Centre. We began our work in 1972 in a village called Tilonia, which is in a part of India known as Rajasthan. Our founder was a man named Sanjit 'Bunker' Roy. He started our organization with a powerful and important idea: that the knowledge and skills people in villages already possess are extremely valuable. Many organizations believe they must bring solutions from the outside, but we believe something different. Our main goal is to help rural communities use their own power and wisdom to solve their own problems. We work to help these communities become self-sufficient, meaning they can take care of their own needs.

Our college is not like most schools or universities you might imagine. We believe that a person does not need to know how to read or write to learn incredible skills and become an expert. Because of this belief, we do not rely on books or written tests. Instead, we teach using hands-on methods. Our students learn by doing, touching, and building. We use pictures, diagrams, and colors to share information so that language and literacy are not barriers. This approach means that people who never had the opportunity to attend a formal school can still get a high-quality education. Through our training, they can become engineers, dentists, architects, and teachers who serve their very own villages.

One of our most well-known programs is the one that trains women to become solar engineers. We lovingly call these women the 'Solar Mamas,' and many of them are grandmothers who are respected leaders in their communities. These amazing women travel from their villages, which are located all over the world, and come to India for six months of intense training. During this time, they learn everything they need to know about solar power. They learn how to build solar panels from scratch, how to install them on roofs, and how to repair them if they break. When their training is complete, they return home as confident engineers. They bring clean, reliable light to their entire community, replacing old kerosene lamps. These lamps were often dangerous because of the fire risk and filled homes with unhealthy smoke.

The work of the Solar Mamas is a powerful example of how technology can change lives, but we know that communities have many needs beyond electricity. Bringing light is important, but our work includes much more. For example, we teach people about clean water. In many places, finding safe water to drink is a daily challenge. We show communities how to build systems that collect and clean rainwater, providing a safe and sustainable source of drinking water for everyone. We also believe in education for all children. In some villages, children must work during the day to help their families. For them, we run special night schools, ensuring they don't miss out on the chance to learn.

We also help people celebrate and continue their local traditions. We support communities in keeping their traditional crafts, such as puppetry and weaving, alive and strong. This not only preserves their unique culture but also helps people earn a living and support their families. All of these programs—from solar power and clean water to night schools and local crafts—work together to help a village thrive and stand on its own feet. They are all part of our mission to empower people with the skills they need to build a better future for themselves.

Today, the ideas that started in the small village of Tilonia have spread far and wide. We have now worked with communities in more than 90 countries across the globe, on nearly every continent. Our work continues to be guided by the same core belief we started with in 1972: that rural communities have the solutions to their own problems. We see our role as a partner. We don't come to give answers; we come to provide the training and the tools that help people unlock their own potential and succeed on their own terms.