#GoodNews December: Highlights from Social Entrepreneurs in 2019
As the end of 2019 approaches, we’ve gathered up the good news: the progress and accomplishments of Skoll social entrepreneurs, hard at work on the world’s thorniest problems. We are…
The Barefoot College is a community-based grassroots organization founded by Sanjit ‘Bunker’ Roy working from Tilonia, Rajasthan since 1972 on the Gandhian concept of reaching the last person. It was established to harness the skills and intelligence of rural people and ‘specialists’ people with degrees and formal professional competence, to work together to empower local communities. The Barefoot College aimed to specifically address the issues concerning marginalized communities and individuals, including women, the exploited and the impoverished rural poor living on less than $3/day. The work took shape in practical domains like water, education, solar, health, advocacy, environment, communications and rural livelihoods including handicrafts.
Barefoot has also sought to enable marginalized rural communities to participate in planning, executing, and maintaining their own frameworks for development. These processes have provided the opportunity to the rural poor to lift themselves out of relative poverty with dignity and self- respect. The Barefoot College discussed and adopted equality, collective decision-making, decentralization, self-reliance, austerity and openness to learning skills as its guiding principles.
Barefoot College has been a place where sustainable ideas and the practical knowledge of the poor have come together to put concepts into practice through working with people for education and skill development, impacting in large-scale impact in access to drinking water, rainwater harvesting, solar electrification, non- formal education, health, conservation, women’s empowerment and culture. Barefoot has effectively demonstrated the potential of giving the rural poor an opportunity and support to develop self-reliance by drawing upon a combination of traditional knowledge (symbolized by “barefoot”) and demystified modern skills
The organization has seminally contributed to the conceptualization of development programmes and initiatives which have later been adopted and scaled up by governments. The basis of all these programmes was the practical knowledge and skills of rural people, upgraded by professional competence. Barefoot College designed and pioneered the well-known Solar Mamas project, which brought in women as “solar engineers”. The Solar Mamas, evolved innovative and effective methods of transfer of technical knowledge to the semi-literate & illiterate middle aged women ,and concentrating on demonstrating the success since 1990.
It has been scaled up nationally and internationally, in collaboration with the Government of India since 2007. So far, more than 1750 solar mamas have been trained from 96 countries in Global South (Latin America, Africa, South Asia, South-East Asia, Central Asia, Middle-East and Pacific Island Countries). Barefoot Vocational Training Centres were established in Burkina Faso, Tanzania, Senegal, Zanzibar, Fiji and Madagascar.
Poor villagers' skills and resourcefulness are often overlooked as potential drivers of community development.
Barefoot College trains illiterate villagers to build and maintain systems such as solar electricity, water and sanitation, schools, and clinics.
“Barefoot” teachers, doctors, health workers, business owners, and service workers improve their own lives and those of their communities.
More than 80 communities in seven countries benefit.
Barefoot College has been working towards sustainable development for over 50 years, and our mission is to empower marginalized communities and individuals by providing them the skills and knowledge they need to take control of their own futures. To further advance its mission, here are some ambitious goals:
1. Expansion of Barefoot College's reach: We aim to expand our programmes in the areas of water, solar, education, health, livelihoods and environment by establishing partnerships with local organizations, governments, and philanthropic entities to provide our services to many more communities and more people in need.
2. Advancement of technology: Barefoot will continue the efforts to demystify technology to develop affordable, efficient and sustainable solutions.
3. Advocacy and policy reform: Barefoot College has been a strong advocate for policy reforms that support sustainable development and the needs of rural communities and shall continue to do so by lobbying governments, partnering with international organizations.
Barefoot College is committed to making a sustainable and positive impact on the communities it serves, by working in a collaborative and systemic approach. The organization partners with civil society, communities, governments, private sector, and multilateral organizations to drive localized sustainability, policy change, and comprehensive positive impact in various thematic areas driving positive change. In the process, we build the capacity of the community and develop sustainable and knowledge frameworks to create a long-lasting impact.
Director, Barefoot College Tilonia
In 1966, as a young post-graduate student from a privileged urban background, Bunker Roy volunteered to spend the summer working with famine affected people in Bihar, one of India’s poorest states. This experience changed him. He committed himself to fight poverty and inequality. He founded the Barefoot College in Tilonia (also known as Social Work and Research Centre) in 1972 to bridge the inequality gap and demystify technology with the people and put it to good use in the hands of poor communities. This radically simple approach to ending poverty, by tapping the wisdom, skills, and resourcefulness of the poor themselves, is less expensive and more successful than approaches that rely on external experts. Barefoot College recruits illiterate villagers and trains them to build and maintain life-changing technologies and systems such as solar electricity, water and sanitation, schools and clinics, artisan businesses, and community engagement.
He has won innumerable awards :
Awards -
1985 The Jamnalal Bajaj Award for Outstanding Contribution in Application of Science and Technology for Rural Development
1997-98 Save the Drylands Award for combating desertification by UNEP
2000 Nuclear-Free Future Solutions Award
2001 AGFUND Prize Laureate
2002 The Stockholm Challenge Award for Information Technology (Environment)
2002 The Tech Museum for Innovation Benefiting Humanity - The NASDAQ Stock Market Award for Education
2002 Schwab Foundation for Outstanding Social Entrepreneurs
2003 Ashden Award for Sustainable Energy
2003 St. Andrews Prize for the Environment
2004 Tyler Prize for Environmental Achievement
2005 Skoll Award for Social Entrepreneurship
2006 The Rio Tinto Alcan Prize for Sustainability
2007 L-RAMP Lifetime Achievement Award
2008 The Guardian identified Bunker Roy as one of the 50 Environmentalists in the world who could save the planet
2009 CondéNast Traveler Environmental Award
2009 Winner of the Special Prize of the first Water for All Competition: Institute for France, SUEZ Environment - Water for All Foundation
2009 Robert Hill Award at the 24th European Photovoltaic Solar Energy Conference and Exhibition (EU PVSEC), Hamburg
2009 The Sierra Club Green Energy Award USA
2010 TIME 100 Most Influential People in the World
2010 Green Fighters 100 Eco-Lifestyle Magazine
2011 Social Entrepreneur of the Year - The Asian Awards
2011 Blue Planet Prize (The Asahi Glass Foundation)
2011 Giraffe Hero - Giraffe Heroes Project
2012 The IDFA Oxfam Novib Global Justice Award
2012 Hilton LightStay Sustainability Award
2012 Qimpro Award for Education (Platinum)
2013 The Peabody Award
2013 Clinton Global Citizens Award
2013 ‘Humanity for Water’ Award, New York
2013 CNN IBN Real Heroes Lifetime Achievement Award
2015 IMC Juran Quality Medal 2014
2015 Times of India (TOI) Social Impact Award (SIA)
2017 Premios Latino América Verde
2017 Social Entrepreneur of 2016 - Business Standard Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) Awards
2017 The Sat Paul Mittal Award for outstanding service to humanity
2017 Honorable Degree of Doctor of Laws - Princeton University
2017 Distinguished Educationist Honor - Rocheston Accreditation Institute
2017 4-Way Test Man of the Year Award 2017
2017 ILEA Leadership Energy Award, Kuala Lumpur
2018 The Earth Care Award
2020 Rajasthan Social Innovation Award, Jaipur
2021 Dr. Thomas Cangan Social Leadership Award - Institute of Rural Management, SIIRM
2021 Best Non-Profit Engagement Model in Sanitation - ISC - FICCI
2023 Fellow at City & Guild Institute
1985 The Jamnalal Bajaj Award for Outstanding Contribution in Application of Science and Technology for Rural Development
1997-98 Save the Drylands Award for combating desertification by UNEP
2000 Nuclear-Free Future Solutions Award
2001 AGFUND Prize Laureate
2002 The Stockholm Challenge Award for Information Technology (Environment)
2002 The Tech Museum for Innovation Benefiting Humanity - The NASDAQ Stock Market Award for Education
2002 Schwab Foundation for Outstanding Social Entrepreneurs
2003 Ashden Award for Sustainable Energy
2003 St. Andrews Prize for the Environment
2004 Tyler Prize for Environmental Achievement
2005 Skoll Award for Social Entrepreneurship
2006 The Rio Tinto Alcan Prize for Sustainability
2007 L-RAMP Lifetime Achievement Award
2008 The Guardian identified Bunker Roy as one of the 50 Environmentalists in the world who could save the planet
2009 CondéNast Traveler Environmental Award
2009 Winner of the Special Prize of the first Water for All Competition: Institute for France, SUEZ Environment - Water for All Foundation
2009 Robert Hill Award at the 24th European Photovoltaic Solar Energy Conference and Exhibition (EU PVSEC), Hamburg
2009 The Sierra Club Green Energy Award USA
2010 TIME 100 Most Influential People in the World
2010 Green Fighters 100 Eco-Lifestyle Magazine
2011 Social Entrepreneur of the Year - The Asian Awards
2011 Blue Planet Prize (The Asahi Glass Foundation)
2011 Giraffe Hero - Giraffe Heroes Project
2012 The IDFA Oxfam Novib Global Justice Award
2012 Hilton LightStay Sustainability Award
2012 Qimpro Award for Education (Platinum)
2013 The Peabody Award
2013 Clinton Global Citizens Award
2013 ‘Humanity for Water’ Award, New York
2013 CNN IBN Real Heroes Lifetime Achievement Award
2015 IMC Juran Quality Medal 2014
2015 Times of India (TOI) Social Impact Award (SIA)
2017 Premios Latino América Verde
2017 Social Entrepreneur of 2016 - Business Standard Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) Awards
2017 The Sat Paul Mittal Award for outstanding service to humanity
2017 Honorable Degree of Doctor of Laws - Princeton University
2017 Distinguished Educationist Honor - Rocheston Accreditation Institute
2017 4-Way Test Man of the Year Award 2017
2017 ILEA Leadership Energy Award, Kuala Lumpur
2018 The Earth Care Award
2020 Rajasthan Social Innovation Award, Jaipur
2021 Dr. Thomas Cangan Social Leadership Award - Institute of Rural Management, SIIRM
2021 Best Non-Profit Engagement Model in Sanitation - ISC - FICCI
2023 Fellow at City & Guild Institute
As the end of 2019 approaches, we’ve gathered up the good news: the progress and accomplishments of Skoll social entrepreneurs, hard at work on the world’s thorniest problems. We are…