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Professionals
Barefoot Professionals are rural social entrepreneurs. The College trains its professionals in
multi-disciplinary initiatives to increase their aptitude in a variety of activities. Each of them
has carved out a niche for themselves. Together they provide development, training, education and
employment within rural India. Since the inception of Barefoot College, more than 37,000 men and women
have been trained as Barefoot professionals.
Barefoot Day and Night School Teachers
Barefoot teachers are men and women selected by the members of rural communities. What is unique about
them is that they are literate but unemployed rural men and women, who have the ‘education’, aptitude
as well as the motivation to teach. Before getting involved with the Shiksha Niketan primary day school
or the village night schools, all Barefoot teachers undergo training workshops for a month. Lessons and
teaching methods are formulated through the insights and experiences that emerge from these workshops,
wherein discussions based on child psychology, learning methods and socio-political problems in the
villages take place.
Jobs provided: Since 1975, 714 Barefoot teachers, including more than 200 women, have looked after
over 50,000 children in 559 night schools across Rajasthan, Bihar, Orissa, Assam, Arunachal Pradesh, Madhya
Pradesh, Andhra Pradesh and Uttarakhand. Based on the Barefoot approach, over 14,000
Shiksha Karmi or
education workers have been employed by the Government of Rajasthan to teach children in rural primary
schools.
Barefoot Balsevika
Balsevika are rural crèche teachers who look after children between the age of 6 months and 5 years, whose
mothers work during the day. At the crèches, the children are exposed to the importance of basic cleanliness,
health, nutrition and personal grooming. Balsevika teach the children how to pull, push, jump, run, catch,
arrange objects in ascending or descending order, comb their hair, wash their hands, identify different
colours, as well as recite alphabets, poems and prayers. The teachers monitor the health and physical,
mental as well as social growth of the children. They cook and serve 100 grams of food to every child that
attends the rural crèches. When a child gets sick, he or she is administered with bio-chemic medicines as
they do not have any side effects.
Jobs provided: Since 1975, 510 Balsevika have looked after 280 crèches in remote villages of Ajmer,
Sikar, Jaipur and Barmer district in Rajasthan. Over 18,000 children have attended Barefoot crèches, of
whom 60% are girls.
Barefoot Health Workers
Health workers tackle health issues and minor injuries at the village level. Their training and work experience
equips them to meet the health needs of rural communities. They advise and teach members of the field centres
and villages, on basic health issues such as hygiene, family planning, pregnancy, immunisation and other
preventive measures. They can also administer bio-chemic medicines, which do not have side effects, as well
as take patients to the nearest government hospital during emergencies.
Jobs provided: 480 rural men and women have trained and worked as Barefoot health workers.
Barefoot Midwives
Barefoot midwives, traditionally known as dais, are trained to conduct deliveries through clean and hygienic
methods. From the time a woman conceives until her child is six months old, the mother and child are looked
after by village midwives. Every mother receives regular check-ups for weight and haemoglobin during her
pregnancy and appropriate preventive measures are taken. In case of birth complications, if the delivery
cannot be handled in the village, the midwife escorts the expectant mother to the nearest hospital. Barefoot
midwives are trained to educate others on the importance of timely vaccinations, good nutrition and diet for
the mother as well as her child.
Jobs provided: Since 1974, 700 rural women have been trained as midwives. Skills of the women who
traditionally practiced midwifery were drawn on, so that they could share their experiences as well as
improve their techniques.
Barefoot lab technicians
Barefoot pathology lab technicians conduct blood tests for checking haemoglobin, sugar, malaria and ESR, urine
tests for testing bile, sugar and pregnancy, and sputum tests for tuberculosis.
Jobs provided: Since 2002, 2 physically challenged youth with no medical degrees have been providing a
service that is otherwise not available in rural areas. They have conducted more than 24,834 tests to diagnose
pregnancy and common ailments such as malaria, tuberculosis, blood sugar and anaemia.
Barefoot Dentists
Barefoot dentists are semi-literate and illiterate women, who practice on a dental chair and take all precautions
of sterilization while diagnosing oral problems, cleaning teeth with tartar, performing temporary and permanent
fillings in cavities, as well as making teeth extractions.
Jobs provided: Since January 2009, 2 rural women Barefoot dentists have seen more than 515 patients. They
are redefining dentistry at the Barefoot College, Tilonia in Rajasthan.
Barefoot Doctors
Barefoot doctors work alongside the rest of the health team to make available basic health services to more than
150 villages in five development blocks of Rajasthan. They have been trained to diagnose and treat patients with
minor ailments by administering homeopathic, bio-chemic or allopathic medicines. Barefoot doctors motivate
villagers to attend camps for the physically challenged, family planning, mother and child immunisation, mental
wellness and Eye Nose Tongue (ENT). They also train semi-literate and illiterate Barefoot health workers,
balsevikas and night school teachers to administer bio-chemic medicines to adults and children as do not have
any side effects. Homeopathic and allopathic medicines are prescribed only by Barefoot doctors.
Jobs provided: 260 rural men and women with little education and no medical degrees have been trained as
Barefoot doctors.
Barefoot Solar Engineers (BSEs)
Semi-literate and illiterate, rural men and women are trained as BSEs to install, fabricate, repair and maintain
solar lighting units. BSEs play a key role in sustaining solar electrifications in inaccessible, rural villages
because they not only install but also repair and maintain the solar units. They earn supplementary income by
being paid in return of their services.
Jobs provided: The Barefoot approach of rural solar electrification has been replicated across 751 villages
in 17 countries and 16 states of India. Since 1989, 416 people including 211 women, have fabricated, installed,
repaired and maintained more than 14,800 fixed solar units and 8,585 solar lanterns. Their collective efforts have
benefited at least 8,96,000 men, women and children.
Women Barefoot Solar Cooker Engineers
Solar cooker engineers are illiterate and semi-literate, rural women, who independently fabricate, install and
maintain 2.5 square metre parabolic solar cookers. A parabolic solar cooker uses sunlight energy to cook food.
Even though the women are barely literate they are able to fabricate cookers that demand high levels of accuracy
and skills in metal craftsmanship.
Jobs provided: Since 2003, 8 semi-literate women have trained and 6 are working as Barefoot solar cooker
engineers. They are able to financially support themselves and their family, partially if not fully.
Barefoot Handpump Mechanics and Water Drillers
The idea of handpump mechanics was first conceived by the Barefoot College in 1984 and subsequently implemented
later all over the State of Rajasthan. These mechanics are mostly unemployed or illiterate cycle repairers,
blacksmiths, farmers or engine mechanics, who look after around 30-40 hand pumps within 5kms radius of their village.
Jobs provided: Between 1981 and 1989, 1,042 unemployed rural people including 39 women were been trained
as Barefoot handpump mechanics to repair and maintain handpumps in villages. Based on the success of their efforts,
the Government of Rajasthan adopted the approach and went on to employ more than 10,000 rural men and women to
repair and maintain handpumps in their respective villages. 105 Barefoot water drillers have installed 3,144 India
Mark II handpumps across 764 villages from the cold deserts of Ladakh to the hot deserts of Rajasthan.
Barefoot Architects and Masons
Barefoot architects & masons use their traditional skills, materials and sense of design and architecture to build
low cost buildings for the Barefoot College. They build for the larger public interest with social good in their mind.
They work for the whole community, without any help of architects, engineers, real estate developers that need building
permission. Barefoot architects and masons have designed and built low cost houses, training and community centres,
as well as schools buildings, rainwater harvesting tanks and toilets for rural schools.
Jobs provided: 475 Barefoot water engineers have built 1,286 underground rain water harvesting tanks in rural
schools, with the capacity of collecting 95 million litres of water. These tanks provide drinking water for at least
4 to 6 months to 1.5 million children. 300 Barefoot water engineers have built 1,686 toilets for girls in 1,286 rural
schools across 20 states of India.
Barefoot Fabrication and Construction Engineers
They are a team of experienced blacksmiths who can fabricate as well as design metal frames, windows, doors,
cots, tables, chairs, solar water heaters, photovoltaic stands, lightings and geodesic domes, to meet the
construction and fabrication needs of the College. They have erected geodesic domes in Rajasthan, Sikkim,
Uttarakhand, Arunachal Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh, to be used as libraries, pathological labs, meeting halls,
community centres, school rooms, dormitories and living spaces.
Jobs provided: 35 men have worked as master blacksmiths and 20 men have been trained to build geodesic domes.
Barefoot Artisans and Designers
While some rural artisans have traditionally been practicing weaving, leather crafts, embroidery, carpentry,
block printing, tie and dye, stitching and appliqué, others have been trained in these crafts to earn a livelihood
through handicrafts. Most Barefoot artisans design their own products by gaining inspiration from
mandanas or
traditional patterns made on the floor, local flora and fauna, and lifestyles of the deserts, to create as
concepts for hand block printed fabrics, embroideries on fabric and leather, appliqué on home furnishing products,
garments and accessories.
Jobs provided: Since 1975, more than 1,850 rural women have trained and worked as Barefoot artisans to make
a living through rural handicrafts. Each artisan is paid through cheques so that they are encouraged to read and write,
as well as learn to handle banks accounts.
Barefoot Communicators
Barefoot communicators are a group of musicians and puppeteers who use live and interactive media, such as puppet
shows, street plays and music, to talk about socio-economic messages like drinking water, environment, Right To
Information, minimum wages, public distribution systems, employment, violence against women, casteism, money lending,
death feast, communal harmony, women empowerment and child rights. Barefoot Communicators do not use written scripts,
as most of them are illiterate or semi-literate villagers. Their communication skills are extensively in rural schools
and villages because it is very powerful and effective. The communicators have to be aware, impulsive, confident,
alert, attentive, creative and entertaining, because their performances are improvisational and interactive in nature.
The audience can ask questions and have discussions during their performances.
Jobs provided: Since 1981, 30 Barefoot communicators have spread traditional media to states of Bihar,
Andhra Pradesh, Orissa, Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Madhya Pradesh and Gujrat, through Barefoot affiliated centres as well
as independent groups. 137 groups, including 1,538 women and men, have been trained in making and handling puppets
as well as perform street plays for rural development.
Barefoot Chemists
Barefoot chemists bring samples of water from village handpumps, tanks and wells of 119 villages, in the Silora
block of Ajmer district in Rajasthan. The samples are tested for sweetness, hardness, PH levels, chloride and
fluoride content, nitrate and iron content as well as microscopic impurities. Based on their test results, water
sources are declared fit or not fit for drinking. The results are recorded on computers as part of data collection
for water sources. Members of the rural community are warned against using water sources that are unfit for drinking.
Jobs provided: Since 1972, more than 180 semi-literate men and women have been trained as Barefoot surveyors,
technicians and chemists, to test samples and keep records of almost 3000 drinking water sources.
Barefoot Computer Instructors
Rural semi-literate and literate women are training adults and children from villages to handle computers. Basics
like making documents, printing, writing data onto CDs or DVDs, accessing internet, e-mailing are taught while training.
Jobs provided: Since 1998, 700 villagers have learnt to operate computers, most them for the first time.
What is makes these instructors unique is that they are barely literate themselves but have learnt to operate computers
through a process of learning-by-doing.
Barefoot Accountants
Barefoot accountants are responsible for financial planning, transactions, allocation and maintenance of funds
received by the College. The Barefoot College believes that anyone can access the audit statements and ask for
information related to sources of funding, as well as amounts received and spent. The Barefoot accountants play
an essential role in implementing this process of transparency and accountability.
Jobs provided: More than 30 members of the College, who are barely literate, have been trained to keep
Barefoot accounts in Tilonia and its sub-centres in Rajasthan, Jammu-Kashmir, Sikkim, Himanchal Pradesh, Kerela
and Assam.
Barefoot Lawyers
Barefoot lawyers work to bring justice to the common man. They work for women and rural poor who cannot afford
to consult paper qualified lawyers. They first gain awareness in legal literacy and rights of the people, then
train, assist and support those who have any problems regarding violation of their rights like minimum wages,
violence against women and Right To Information. They also participate in transparency and social audit meetings,
as well as motivate others to attend them. More than 5000 women have been trained in legal literacy and women
rights, and each of them is a social activist in her own right.
Barefoot Drivers
In Rajasthan, work requires members to travel anywhere between 5-600km (one way). Facilities for transportations
have been provided for workers, visitors and goods, in 9 field centres of the College including Tilonia. Barefoot
drivers are field specialists who have a good idea about the geographical location, history and details of work
done in the remote rural areas of Rajasthan.
Jobs provided: More than 20 men have been experienced long distance drivers with the license to drive heavy
and light vehicles. They have driven solar units and handicraft goods up to Delhi, Bangalore, Mumbai, Ladakh
and Sikkim.
Barefoot Librarians
Since 1972, the library cum reading room at the new campus in Tilonia has collected more than 20,000 books in
English and Hindi. Barefoot librarians manage more than 150 journals, newspapers, magazines, newsletters, research
papers, documents and reports every month. The library services are extended to all Barefoot professionals,
visitors and students of the day and night schools. Unlike other conventional libraries, no membership is
required for this one.
Jobs provided: More than 15 people have worked as librarians in Barefoot College, Tilonia.
Barefoot Screen Printers
Barefoot College, Tilonia has a silk screen printing unit where low cost materials such as maps, t-shirt graphics,
training booklets, manuals, invitations, posters, banners and pamphlets are printed for the programmes, public
functions, demonstrations, exhibitions and rallies organised by the College.
Jobs provided: Since 1984, 15 men, including one deaf and dumb man has been trained to design and print
graphics through screen printing.
Barefoot Film Makers, Photographers and Videographers
Together, the unit meets all audio-visual documentation needs of the College. They click pictures, record videos
and make or edit films on the latest activities under the health, education, rural women’s development, alternate
energy, people’s action and the rural handicraft programme. They have traveled to cities and some of the remotest
villages of India, Mali, Mauritania, Bhutan, Sierra Leone, The Gambia, Germany, U.K, Norway and Pakistan. They
document the progress of projects undertaken by the College, record interviews and meetings with rural communities.
They have a first-hand experience of the lifestyle and hardships of rural people.
Jobs provided: Since 1982, 27 rural people including 2 women have been trained to do the same.
Barefoot Carpenters
Barefoot carpenters meet all carpentry needs of the College such as construction or repair of windows, doors,
drawers, shelves and cupboards. The section also makes low cost educational toys for children studying in rural
crèches and night schools. The educational toys are designed to teach principles of physics and mathematics,
local geography and wild life. Toys such as jigsaw puzzles and building blocks help children to develop mentally
as well as physically.
Jobs provided: The College tries to provide this employment opportunity to as many physically challenged
youth as possible. Since 2000, 28 rural youth, including 5 women and 18 physically challenged men, have been trained
to make educational toys and blackboards out of wood.
Barefoot Telephone Operators
The telephone booth at Barefoot College, Tilonia is a provision for its workers and visitors to make local as well
as international phone calls. The booth is managed by at least 2 physically challenged people every year. Barefoot
phone operators are trained to receive, make and transfer phone calls, as well as keep section-wise records of all
phone calls made, every month.
Jobs provided: Since 1997, over 10 physically challenged men and women have worked as phone booth operators.
Barefoot Kabaad-Se-Jugaad Professionals
Professionals at Kabaad-se-Jugaad (recycling) section, create innovative educational toys made out of recycled
waste materials such as worn out chappals or sandals, papers, batteries, newspapers, bulbs, toothpaste tubes,
ball point pen refills and matchboxes. What started as a teaching aid for the Education section has, today,
diversified into producing eco-friendly notebooks, diaries, registers, boxes, bags, chalks and candles, to
meet the stationery demands of the College. They help to create awareness towards the need for recycling, by
training day or night children above the age of 5, rural youth as well as visitors who come to Barefoot College,
Tilonia.
Jobs provided: Since 1993, 97 unemployed youth, including 22 physically challenged men and 16 women,
have been trained to create innovative educational toys, notebooks and chalks for poor night school children,
so that they need not buy these items.
Barefoot Community Radio Station Operators
The community radio station (CRS) at the Barefoot College new campus in Tilonia, is operated by few members of
the same rural community that it endeavors to serve. Even though the Barefoot CRS operators are barely literate,
the access, control and management of the sophisticated technology lies in their hands. They regularly conduct
surveys to find what is relevant to its 50,000 rural listeners, whose occupations are mainly based on agriculture,
animal husbandry, weaving, leather-craft, carpentry, pottery, handicrafts and blacksmithing. Barefoot CRS operators
plan the content as well as broadcast the programmes. The programmes are aimed to sensitise people and bring
awareness on issues such as rural employment, education, health and hygiene, renewable energy, environment, drinking
water, rain water harvesting, traditional communication & folk songs, women empowerment, National Rural Employment
Guarantee Act (NREGA), Right To Information (RTI) and child rights.
Jobs provided: Since 2008, 11 rural people, including 7 women, have been responsible for operating the
Community Radio Station. 6 rural women, including 5 physical challenged, have also been trained to assemble FM
transistor radios.
Barefoot Wasteland Developers
Wasteland development is done for soil conservation as well as groundwater recharge.
For instance, the collective efforts of the Barefoot wasteland developers have transformed the Barefoot College
new campus in Tilonia from a barren agriculture land to a lush green campus with a number of trees and independent
water sources, almost like an oasis in a desert. 5000 members of Women’s Groups have also been trained to do contour
bunding in their agricultural land for rejuvenating groundwater levels.
Jobs provided: Since 1992, 1,500 men and women have been trained and employed for developing wasteland,
laying pipelines, and for constructing rainwater harvesting structures such as tanks, dug wells, trenches, anicuts
and small ponds.
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