Empowered to Dream
Barefoot College International Annual Report
2023-2024
The Sun Powers All
When a Barefoot-trained solar engineer electrifies her village, the community experiences real change:
Clean power changes everything with a flick of a switch.
“We have come to this moment in time with tremendous opportunities including increased solar potential, new technological innovation relevant in rural, third-world communities, and scalability of what works far more rapidly than possible in the last few decades. This is our mission and our distinct purpose.”
We are Barefoot College International
Kigongoni Village in Zanzibar.
Kigongoni Village in Zanzibar.
- Barefoot College International (BCI) is a global NGO that equips rurally remote communities with the tools and knowledge they need to become self-sufficient in clean energy, educational and economic resource access.
- BCI does this by training women with the support of their communities as Solar Engineers, Educators and Entrepreneurs, and then equips them to fully solar electrify their communities, and to implement educational and economic uplift programs.
- Our solar solutions combat climate change. Women and children are most affected by the negative aspects of climate change, and communities living in rurally remote poverty are often prevented from taking control of their development by their reliance on costly, environmentally harmful fossil fuels that also impact human health.
- BCI’s programs are delivered through Regional Training Centres and their staff, on both a local and regional scale, and operate in nearly 100 countries worldwide.
- At BCI we excel at transforming the lives of our beneficiaries for good, and our programs address 15 of the 17 United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
- We have more than a decade of experience implementing our uniquely fast, innovative upskilling model.
- BCI does this by training women with the support of their communities as Solar Engineers, Educators and Entrepreneurs, and then equips them to fully solar electrify their communities, and to implement educational and economic uplift programs.
- Our solar solutions combat climate change. Women and children are most affected by the negative aspects of climate change, and communities living in rurally remote poverty are often prevented from taking control of their development by their reliance on costly, environmentally harmful fossil fuels that also impact human health.
Our Approach
Energy access is the foundation for health, education, economic mobility, and community resilience. BCI tackles interlinked barriers to prosperity by combining:
• Reliable, self-sufficient clean energy access
• Education that enables communities to convert energy into development
• Vocational, financial and entrepreneurial training that accelerates long-term self-sufficiency
• Community-driven engagement, where women are selected and supported by their own villages
• Local and international partnerships that make programs sustainable and scalable
Our Approach: Solar
BCI’s approach ensures communities gain not just electricity, but the skills, confidence, and agency to drive their own development. We engage our beneficiares through this proven process:
Our Approach: ENRICH
ENRICH is designed to empower marginalized individuals, especially women and youth by building the confidence, knowledge, and practical skills needed to unlock their potential, improve their lives, and lead positive change in their communities. ENRICH training is integrated into all BCI programs, including Solar Engineering and livelihood training, and is also offered independently as a stand-alone program when needed.
Leadership Skills
Social Equity
Financial Literacy
Health & Wellness
Digital Skills
Sustainable Living
Entrepreneurship Skills
ENRICH
Our Impact
GLOBAL BENEFICIARIES, 2022-2024
Zanzibar, east and central africa
SENEGAL, west and central africa
GUATEMALA & LATIN AMERICA
Madagascar
global south isolated projects
Regional Centers: Training Aspirations Into Reality
Brenda Geofrey
Country Director, BCI-Zanzibar
“At Barefoot College Zanzibar, innovation fuels our impact. From training women as solar engineers to launching sustainable enterprises in sewing, beekeeping and regenerative agriculture we are creating income pathways and transforming rural communities.
With support from the Apple Academy, we have introduced educational mobile apps expanding access to knowledge across East Africa. This past year has been a journey of purpose, progress and powerful partnerships.”
Ny Sanda
Executive Director, BCI-Madagascar
“We took the time to truly listen to the women living around our training center: to observe their daily lives and understand their priorities. While continuing our mission to reach rural women in some of Madagascar’s most remote areas, we strengthened our field presence. These encounters gave deeper meaning to our work: a mission built with the communities themselves, now guiding our next strategic directions.”
Brenda Geofrey
Country Director, BCI-Zanzibar
“At Barefoot College Zanzibar, innovation fuels our impact. From training women as solar engineers to launching sustainable enterprises in sewing, beekeeping and regenerative agriculture we are creating income pathways and transforming rural communities.
With support from the Apple Academy, we have introduced educational mobile apps expanding access to knowledge across East Africa. This past year has been a journey of purpose, progress and powerful partnerships.”
Ny Sanda
Executive Director, BCI-Madagascar
“We took the time to truly listen to the women living around our training center: to observe their daily lives and understand their priorities. While continuing our mission to reach rural women in some of Madagascar’s most remote areas, we strengthened our field presence. These encounters gave deeper meaning to our work: a mission built with the communities themselves, now guiding our next strategic directions.”
For our global updates from each regional center and its activities, please download the full report.
New Initiatives
Zanzibar’s Blue Economy
Zanzibar ranks as the fourth largest seaweed exporter. An estimated 24,000 Zanzibaris engage in seaweed farming, over 80% of whom are women. BCI is deploying solar-powered drying equipment run by its solar engineers to provide better wages for seaweed farmers.
Birthing Center Electrification in Senegal
With the latest advancements in our solar equipment, BCI Solar Engineers electrified a birthing center to greatly improve the health outcomes for mothers giving birth at night.
Regenerative Agriculture
Each regional center is developing sustainable farming specific to the climate and culture unique to its location. We now have 48 trainees in Madagascar, 50 in Guatemala and in 30 Zanzibar.
Eco-Lodge at BC Madagascar
BC Mada built an eco-lodge right on campus — designed with sustainability at its core, with its architecture awarded for its environmentally friendly and sustainable design.mThe lodge holds immense potential to become a sustainable income source.
Our Organization
BCI’s organizational structure relies on highly effective, decentralized and vertically integrated architecture.
All fundraising and funds are handled by BCI USA (501c3), BCI UK (Registered Charity) and BCI Switzerland (Registered Swiss Association) guaranteeing maximum tax efficiency for donors, and therefore maximum value for money to beneficiaries on the ground.
Ground operations and project implementation occur through the BCI Regional Training Centers which act as hubs to train women from all over the world whom BCI travels to and from their communities so that they can learn.
Staff on the ground are primarily local and supported by world class experts and BCI’s global staff in project implementation
Executive oversight is provided by the vertically integrated Global Advisory Board, drawn from all levels of the organization
Take Action
We are actively seeking new corporate and philanthropic partners to help us power up new initiatives for 2025 and 2026.
Contact: sue.stevenson@barefootcollege.org
To donate and support our mission, please click here:
