BAREFOOT COLLEGE-Empowering villages and women

Established in 1972,by Mr.Bunker Roy, the Barefoot College is a non-government organization that has been providing basic services and solutions to problems in rural communities, with the objective of making them self-sufficient and sustainable. These ‘Barefoot solutions’ can be broadly categorized into solar energy, water, education, health care, rural handicrafts, people’s action, communication, women’s empowerment and wasteland development. It is located at Tilonia village, Rajasthan, India.

The WBSCES (Women Barefoot Solar Cooker Engineers Society) is the first registered association of semiliterate and literate women who complete the full fabrication and production of parabolic solar cookers. The solar engineering program at Barefoot College started in India in the 1990s. As of December 2007, Indian Barefoot solar engineers had installed – with absolutely no aid from urban professionals – 8,700 solar units, generating 500 kilowatts (kW) per day, and manufactured 4,100 solar lanterns. As a result, 574 villages and hamlets (nearly 100,000 people) as well as 870 schools now have solar electricity.

The organization also provides training to budding engineers from countries like Bhutan, Africa etc. During their six months of training, the women are taught by other semi-literate and illiterate women:

• to handle sophisticated charge controllers and inverters (solar cells produce direct current (DC) which is converted into standard alternating current (AC) using an inverter),
• to install solar panels and link them to batteries,
• to build solar lanterns and
to establish a local electronic workshop where they can carry out all major and minor repairs to the solar power system themselves.

The 2^nd National Conference On Energy at MITS, Lakshmangarh , was enlightened in real sense by presence of solar engineers. Mr. Bhagwat Nandan, Solar program Coordinator stated, “Women from poor and neglected rural communities, live a life of many hardships and the organization is pleased to help such women in earning their livelihood”. Mrs.Shahnaz Bano a resident of Kishangarh village is a vivid example of such proud women of the organization. She has studied till 3^rd standard and works as a Solar engineer trainer in the organization.

With little guidance, encouragement and space to grow, the people who have always been considered ‘very ordinary’ and written off by society are exhibiting their talent and abilities and are doing extraordinary things that defy description.

The emancipation of women, i.e. their liberation from religious, legal, economic, and sexual oppression, their access to higher education, and their escape from narrow gender roles is not easily achieved. The struggle for sexual equality has a long history and is likely to continue for some time; but with organizations like Barefoot College, our country is really a leader in empowering women.