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.
Arresting DeforestationClean EnergyClean WaterEarly Childhood to Primary EducationEducationEnvironmental SustainabilityLivelihoodsLiving ConditionsSanitationWater ManagementWomen's and Girls' EducationYouth Job Skills
Central America, Eastern and Southern Africa, Oceania, South America, Southeast Asia, West and Central Africa
