International Women’s Month Recap If you follow any of our social media accounts, you may have noticed our posts around International Women’s Month. The month of March is special to us because all of our initiatives are deeply hinged on a women-centric focus. We are dedicated to uplifting women through education and livelihood training not only because ALL people must be granted fair access to educational opportunities for community well-being- it’s also ecologically and economically beneficial. When women are given equal and equitable opportunities, global GDP rises (McKinsey & Company pr ..read more

Barefoot College International‘s Solar Program in Senegal is featured in the ARTE full-length documentary, The Light of Women (La Lumière Des Femmes in French). It is nominated for the FIPADOC film festival competition in the Impact category . Additional nominations for the film have also been made internationally. We cannot wait to watch the full 90-minute feature film! Until then, check out the trailer below   The Light of Women by ARTE Showcases Senegalese Solar Mamas The artistic eyes of filmmakers Elise Darblay et Antoine Depeyre managed the creation of this stunning, inspiring fi ..read more

We’d like to wish everyone Happy Holidays and a very Joyous New Year! We send our sincere thanks for your ongoing support 2023 has been a fantastic year of growth for Barefoot College International! Our projects have installed 2,485 solar home lighting systems overall, and we have trained over 850 women in economic uplift livelihood skills.   Women selling goods resulting from new livelihood skills have achieved above-market average prices for their work. Overall, your support has helped us to positively transform the quality of life for marginalized women through energy, educational and ..read more

Due to the success of our first cohort, we progressed our mission to bring renewable energy to Guatemala. Thanks to a major patronage from the Puma Energy Foundation, more Guatemalans will receive solar energy for their homes. Our second cohort of Solar Mamas completed training at our Guatemalan campus, and will install the solar systems. Partnered with the World Food Programme, our logistical assistor, our team travelled several hours on remote, unpaved roads to meet with local Indigenous Guatemalan leaders and residents to discuss the details of the Solar Training Program. Our task force co ..read more

Barefoot College International’s inaugural collaborative initiative has completed the first phase of its program, training 15 women in drone flying. ‘Pilotas Resilientes’ (Resilient Pilots in English) is a women-centric rural development educational program that helps remote communities prosper. Through the training of women, villages gain greater resilience against Climate Change and local development impediments such as access to resources, education and bridging the digital divide. Our partners Flying Labs Panama are the capacity trainers for this initiative and The World Food Programme has ..read more

45 More Solar Systems for Rural Nepal Last month, 3 rural Nepalese Solar Mamas assembled and installed an additional 45 solar light systems in the Humla region of Nepal. Families in their community were living in total darkness with no access to electricity otherwise. Now with clean, renewable energy, children can study during the evenings and families will be safer at night . They’ll also breathe cleaner air indoors. The toxic smoke from kerosene lamps is reduced by at least 99%; families will no longer rely on kerosene burning. Two Nepal Solar Mamas assemble solar lanterns and solar systems ..read more

Empowering rural women is a vital aspect of sustainable development that needs our urgent attention. By focusing on rural women’s opportunities and education, we ensure their rights are acknowledged and that their potential is reached. Rural women, especially those living in developing nations, confront many barriers to equitable opportunities. Fewer than 20 per cent of the world’s landholders are women, and just 15 per cent of agricultural land is owned by women despite the fact that they make up the majority of the agricultural workforce across much of the world. Despite some progress, women ..read more

Barefoot College International‘s Solar Program in Senegal is featured in the ARTE full-length documentary, The Light of Women (La Lumière Des Femmes in French). It is nominated for the FIPADOC film festival competition in the Impact category . Additional nominations for the film have also been made internationally. We cannot wait to watch the full 90-minute feature film! Until then, check out the trailer below   The Light of Women by ARTE Showcases Senegalese Solar Mamas The artistic eyes of filmmakers Elise Darblay et Antoine Depeyre managed the creation of this stunning, inspiring fi ..read more

We are excited to share the incredible events and accomplishments that have unfolded at Barefoot College Zanzibar. Your support and engagement have been instrumental in making these projects a success. Here’s a glimpse of what we’ve been up to: Empowering Grow Your Social Venture (GYSV) Graduates in Partnership with HerStart: We extend our heartfelt appreciation to Hassan, who skillfully facilitated training sessions for our HerStart’s GYSV participants. Supporting Barefoot College Zanzibar projects has contributed to empowering the next generation of social change-makers! Warm Welcomes to Vi ..read more

We’d like to wish everyone Happy Holidays and a very Joyous New Year! We send our sincere thanks for your ongoing support 2023 has been a fantastic year of growth for Barefoot College International! Our projects have installed 2,485 solar home lighting systems overall, and we have trained over 850 women in economic uplift livelihood skills.   Women selling goods resulting from new livelihood skills have achieved above-market average prices for their work. Overall, your support has helped us to positively transform the quality of life for marginalized women through energy, educational and ..read more