Education for building resilient communities

We created the Barefoot Enriche Curriculum to support women’s aspirations to transform themselves and their communities. This holistic curriculum, taught in conjunction with solar engineer training, provides them with essential skills and knowledge while developing their sense of agency. Trained to share, women transfer their knowledge to the other members of their communities and help their communities improve their quality of life. Teaching aids and tools are designed for a rural, non-literate audience, using audio, visual and digital contentin local languages and adapted to local realities.

Women and girls who gain the opportunity to receive skills and efficacy-building tend to be healthier, are better able to compete in the labour market, have fewer children, earn higher incomes, are more prepared, independent, resilient and able to make a better world for themselves and those around them. Providing entrepreneurial opportunities for women contributes to faster economic growth and stronger national competitiveness. Our comprehensive programmes are designed to improve village life from all angles, wherever poverty exists. Barefoot Solutions include solar power, education, clean water, professions and advocacy to provide rural development as a bottom up approach.

Barefoot College International operates in over 2000 villages in 93 countries worldwide. The impact of direct training and services ripples out to impact more than two million people, giving communities access to clean water, lucrative livelihoods and safe, renewable energy. This journey has inspired us to learn and share the value of rural women’s wisdom.

The Barefoot College was built from the ground up, with rural communities in mind every step of the way. From its humble beginnings right up to the present day, the College calls on a network of supporters near and far to help carry our work forward. Together, there are many ways to go Barefoot.