Barefoot Regional Vocational Training Center, South Sudan

Model and Strategy

Globally 1.6 billion people have no access to electricity, 75% in rural areas. Based on the overwhelming success of the Barefoot Approach to Solar electrification, The College has been sanctioned by the Government of India to build 6 Regional Training Centers in Sub Saharan Africa to expand the already proven impacts of their work. In addition to the basic Solar Engineering Curriculum, these training centers focus on deep capacity building towards livelihood development, community mobilisation through civil society development skills and access to sustainable clean electricity that is not dependant on a Government infrastructure. This is a partnership model that targets health, education, development of women as entrepreneurs and livelihood drivers. Barefoot College believes in the skills and wisdom of the poor to create, manage and maintain the solutions to their own challenges in a sustainable move towards poverty elimination.

Impact

Train 50 illiterate and semi-literate Women Solar Engineers over two years

Solar electrify 24 Villages, building 24 Rural Electronic Workshops, bringing clean light to more than 600 households, and 30,000 people who currently do not have access to electricity

Establish the first fully self sufficient, sustainable community managed model of infrastructure ever in South Sudan

Reduce negative health factors, increase children's educational achievement and empower communities against tribal violence and hostility by unifying them through the Women Solar Engineers Network

Barefoot College