Barefoot College InternationalSolutions | Barefoot College International

Helping the world meet its sustainable development goals by 2030

Barefoot Solutions offer a road map for 14 of the 17 2015 UN Sustainable Development Goals and a track record few global programmes can match.

Empowering women to lead

We created the Barefoot Enriche Curriculum to support women’s aspiration to transform themselves and their communities. This holistic curriculum, taught in conjunction with solar engineer training, provides women with essential skills and knowledge while developing their sense of agency. Read more

Basic digital IT skills

Legal rights and civil society

Women's reproductive health

Livelihood skills

Financial inclusion

Micro-enterprise skills

Environmental stewardship

Self awareness

Our Programmes Around the World

Our unique and localised programmes are designed to empower marginalised women and communities by fostering self-sufficiency, resilience, and sustainable development through education and grassroots action. Our primary programmes include Solar, Livelihoods Development, ENRICHE and Water and Agriculture,. We operate in a decentralised and localised fashion, ensuring that we can adapt and develop programmes that meet local needs.

Solar

The Barefoot College International Solar programme trains rural women, who have no formal education, as solar engineers. They gain the skills to build, install and maintain solar home lighting systems when the return home to their communities, brining clean and sustainable light to some of the most remote communities around the world.

Enriche

Gender inequality is not only a pressing moral and social issue but also a critical economic challenge. As a McKinsey study highlights, fully closing gender gaps would add $28 trillion to annual GDP by 2025. The ENRICHE programme supports women’s aspiration to transform themselves and their communities by empowering them with knowledge and skills.

Ecological Livelihoods

Our Livelihoods and Regenerative Agriculture programmes train rural women to develop sustainable and profitable livelihoods to increase economic mobility and protect the planet.