The Barefoot Revolution

This is the story of ordinary people who have made extraordinary things possible…

This is the story of a quaint little village in the land of drought and color….Rajasthan..

A village where the poorest of the poor lived…

A village that had been left behind and forgotten as India surged forward…..

When darkness fell virtually everything had to come to a halt – work, reading, cooking – because the village had no electricity

The people were “unemployable” and “unqualified”….

Completely dependent on the vagaries of fate….

And then came a man…..

Sanjit Bunker Roy

Born in Burnpur, Bengal in 1945

Elite EducationDeeply affected by the

Bihar famine in the 1960s

The Code of Conduct debate

Founded the Barefoot College (Social Work and Research Centre) in Tilonia, Rajasthan in 1972

His Philosophy

Gandhian Principles: Deeply influenced by Mahatma Gandhi and his philosophySustainable

developmentSelf-government Non violence

A New Approach to Social Work

Before Bunker Roy

ElitistPerception that only

the educated urban people could ‘uplift the poor’

Paper qualifications more important than actual skills

An external approach rather than internal

Reliance on government intervention and big foreign aid packages

Bunker Roy’s Approach

More pragmatic‘Dirty Hands’

approachTied directly to

actionBelieved in

education as the key strategy

But not necessarily degree-based

The key to alleviating rural poverty lies within communities themselves

“How is it possible that some people live in such penury – and we go through the best of education but don’t give anything back?”

GENESIS

“To serve the basic learning needs of all requires more than a recommitment to basic education as it now exists. What is needed is an “expanded vision” that surpasses […] conventional delivery systems while building on the best in current practices”

WORLD DECLARATION ON EDUCATION FOR ALL (Article 2)

Predecessors of the movement

Mao Zedong's “Barefoot Doctors”

John F Kennedy's US Peace Corps

Gandhian philosophy

The BeginningStarted as the Social Work and Research

Centre (SWRC) in Tilonia in 1972

45 acres of government land and an abandoned tuberculosis sanatorium leased at 1 Re per month!

Joint venture with specialists and local villagers

The ideology shift from urban specialist assistance to rural self-sufficiency

Problems that SWRC / Barefoot sought to addressLack of professionalization and rural

focus

Lack of accessibility

Poor dissemination of information

Dependency

Absence of institution support

The Concept of Barefoot College

Why Barefoot College?

SWRC started going by the name Barefoot College in the early ‘80’s

Millions of people in India live and work barefoot!

Title also used as a symbol of respect for the knowledge that the poor have

How It Works

Selection:Takes men,

women and children

Illiterate and semi-literate

From the lowest castes

From the most remote and inaccessible villages in India

Training:Trains them at their

own pace to become “Barefoot”..

Water EngineersSolar EngineersArchitectsTeachersCommunicators

• Pathologists, midwives, IT workers, accountants, Marketing Managers…

Once trained, these villagers work within their own communities

Thus they become less dependent on “outside” skills

The teacher is the learner and learner the teacher!

Propagation:

Barefoot Campus and Structure

The “loose” structure as a strength

Definite lines of authority such as the Director and the section leader but a conscious attempt to avoid hierarchies in decision making and salaries

Monthly meetings between the section leaders, the field centre coordinator and the Director

Accounts Department oversees finance, supported by senior staff who are responsible for funding requests and reports

The old and new campuses and the 8 field centres : greater decentralization into villages

The Barefoot Code of ConductLive and work in close proximity with the rural

community

Create a space for creative and constructive personal growth - not discriminating against caste, religion or political thinking

Ensure gender equality within the organisation

Have an intrinsic belief in the democratic political process and not follow partisan political agendas or include partisan politicians on the board

Judge the worth of people by their willingness and ability to learn - not by their paper qualifications

The Barefoot Code of Conduct

Believe in the law of the land and have a commitment towards social justice through non-violent means

Have respect for collective, traditional knowledge, beliefs, wisdom and practices of the community

Be committed to the preservation of natural resources and not endorse processes that destroy, exploit or abuse natural resources

Use appropriate technologies that sustain the community and not encourage technologies that deprive people of their livelihoods

Set a personal example in adhering to the code of conduct

Sectors of WorkAccess to drinking water, groundwater management

and rain water harvestingEducationMedical careWomen's programmes Agricultural extensionRural industryAppropriate technology Animal husbandryCommunication and use of traditional media

The Barefoot Principles: A Yardstick of the success of the movementEquality: The program treats all members as

equal, regardless of sex, class, education, or caste

Collectivity: Collective decision-making practiced by one and all.

Self reliance: Members are helped to work together to develop the community.

Decentralization: The program is committed to local decision-making, and grassroots level.

Austerity: The staff members lead a simple life committed to generating a close community and a stimulating, creative environment.

Barefoot VS Traditional Approach ApproachPressure to change

system is applied from below – those who are affected: self-sufficiency

Integrated approach covering multiple sectors

Emphasis on no profit no loss with fulfillment of social responsibilities

Pressure to change system is applied from outside or above – outsiders who are not directly affected

Sectoral Approach

Emphasis on either external donations/ charity or profit focus

Actually live and work in villages – has a much greater impact

Evolutionary approach

Does not fall into any category of organization with respect to ideals, beliefs, etc – is not “straitjacketed” by the above – it uses best facts of all types

Live in cities but work in villages – has a limited impact

Project based, pre-planned approach

Could be limited in approach if categorized or falls into a certain category of idealistic organization such as Gandhian, Marxist, Sarvodaya, etc

Barefoot VS Traditional Approach Approach

DIFFERENT FACES OF A REVOLUTION

Education System “Never let school interfere with your education”

Illiteracy is NOT a barrier to the rural poor developing themselves with skills of their own

Means for creating self-esteem and appropriate skills

Arouse awareness about the environment and the forces that dominate development

Literacy and numeracy are part of this course but are not the central goals

Expertise through hands on experience in training programs and through the informal learning of rural life

Achieving skills that guarantee the sustainable development of rural communities

Bunker Roy on Education Systems…

“Encourage private initiative without commercializing education. Give private initiative more responsibility, more space, more freedom”

“In Tilonia, education and development are inextricably linked. Youth are trained to use technologies that serve their communities while children learn about environmental themes such as solar electricity, which is used in most of their schools”

Formal Education

Only prepare children for government and professional employment

Language Barrier

Seek individual prosperity and move away from community

People with the baggage of formal education can be harmful in the village as they often look down on the poor

"It destroys initiative and creativity. It expects you to do everything the way they say, the way they do,"

"I advise people to get a functional education, enough reading and writing not to get tricked by the money lender and then come back to the village."

Focus on Community OpinionAssessment of community need and

understanding of education.

Night school teachers, day care teachers, midwives and village education committees define what rural communities need to sustainInformation regarding government programmes

and legal literacyCollective problem resolution – to form sustainable

communities and pressure groups to influence policies

A way to avoid exploitation by literate

To discuss environment and development issues, every year 2500 teachers’ meetings, 600 rural parent’s meetings, and 1,250 village education meetings are called.

MeansNight Schools for childrenDay SchoolsPre-SchoolsChildren’s ParliamentTraining Barefoot TeachersTraining and SupervisionToy Workshop

Methodology

Use of folklore, songs, puppetry and theater in classes, training and learning groups

Associating with the traditional learning patterns of their environment

Philosophy in which everyone is a learner and a teacher. There is no give and take – only sharing

Although written manuals are limited, there is a sharing of information between those with traditional knowledge and those who are ‘professionals’ which has made the village a self-reliant, sustainable unit

The College has helped to facilitate a revival of

people’s technologies that are tried, tested and approved by communities and applied them on a wide scale to solve problems

MethodologyLocal staff such as the Balsevikas (women who

run the day care programmes) and the night school teachers do indeed come from the villages where they work

The training sessions bring together local midwives, day care workers and night school teachers. They share education and health information for all three sectors and ensure a coherence of philosophy between the sections.

Once a mother brings in a child to the day care centre, staff attempt to build on her interest in the child’s health and education tackling issues of nutrition hearth care and women rights

ImplementationEmphasis on environment

Students are taught the value of wasteland development and the destructive effect of cutting down trees for fuel and fodder

Imparting educational process that refers to agriculture, animal husbandry and the daily activities that go on in a village

CurriculumLanguage (Hindi), Arithmetic, Social Studies,

Science, Geography and EnvironmentClass 1 & 2

Idea of reading and writing HindiSimple addition subtraction and multiplication

Class 3 Letter to words and words to sentences Information on household, self government and casteism

Implementation

Class 4 & 5Geographic knowledge of district and villageSocio – Political structure of the countryLocal fairs, festivals, traditional storiesSocial and Political thinkers and famous personalitiesRabia, Kharif and pulse crops, fertilizers and

cultivation of cereals and pulses. Vocational Training – Carpentry, sewing, cement

block making, motor winding etc.

Children’s ParliamentValue of recognizing good candidate on their own

meritResponsibility and powerMore actively involved in the running of their schoolsAn innovative step to better child-empowerment

Challenges and Innovations

Infrastructure – Government day school buildings, community centers in village, teachers houses

Rescheduling of schools to meet the times of rural children and teachers drawn from surrounding communities

The VEC and night school teachers talk to parents who are not sending their children to school and do their best to persuade them

Night school teachers are local residents who have generally completed their 8th gradeAnnual training for 15 daysContinuous motivation exercises to instill a spirit of

voluntarism

Statistics60% of night school students are girls

Over 3,000 drop-out children comprising 1,200 boys and 1,800 girls attend 150 night schools in 150 villages.

100 per cent attendance of children who have dropped out (of formal education)

Each night more than 4,000 children who tend cattle by day attend night classes with barefoot teachers in education centers lit by solar powered lanterns built and installed by barefoot engineers

Solar Energy: Opportunity Utilized..

Follows the combined approach to community participation through skills training and technology demystification

Solar Electronics Workshop - Located at Barefoot College, Tilonia

This centre prepares “barefoot engineers” ,men and women from poor rural backgrounds, who spend six months training here

The program combines 21st century science with traditional knowledge to teach the construction, installation, and maintenance of Home lighting systems Solar lanterns Solar Cookers

All solar panels have been installed, maintained and repaired by the village people without the assistance of any paper qualified engineer.

These BSEs in turn impart the same knowledge and expertise to others.

Faces of the Movement• Gulab Devi (45) of Harmara Village in

Rajasthan– She is the sole bread-earner for her four

children and her ailing husband – She is completely illiterate– She makes electronic circuits and chargers

for solar lighting panels for a living

• Ritma Bharti of Bihar– She underwent training with her 2yr old in

tow– Came back with 80 solar lanterns and lit 40

schools– Now she trains others in her village

Impact..a few numbers

The Barefoot College is fully solar operated, the first of its

kind

Solar electrifying 300 adult education centres & 900 schools

400 rural youth including women trained as barefoot solar

engineers with absolutely no aid from urban professionals

574 villages and hamlets(clusters) have been covered

where a total number of 12000 households have been solar

electrified.

195,000 litres of kersoene saved, by replacing generators

and oil lanterns with solar power.

WaterBarefoot Approach consists ofGround water surveys Installation of hand pumps by Barefoot engineers

and mechanicsRainwater HarvestingPiped water systems

Safe drinking water is being provided for the first time through 67 hand pumps at a height of 15,000 ft in Ladakh in Jammu and Kashmir

Village barefoot engineers, who have barely passed primary school, have planned and implemented water supply schemes in 13 villages, benefiting 19,000 people

Rainwater Harvesting• Involves collection of rainwater falling on

existing open wells and tanks and reservoirsCommunity members come together and

contribute labour and materials to construct these storage tanks

• Such water has been tested and found to be safe for human consumption

• Rooftop Rainwater Harvesting– Catching rainwater where it falls using the rooftops

of schools and other buildings– Channeling it into underground leak-proof tanks

made of locally available, low-cost materials

• These structures are managed, controlled and owned by Village Water Communities

Impact Reduced dependence on external expertise and material

More cost effective than solutions based on underground water/other sources At Rs. 2-3 /litre one can collect and store 100,000 litres of

rainwater

Water availability helps in regular attendance at schools

In India, around 1,000 RRWH structures have been built in 17 states, with a total storage capacity of 47 million litres serving over 220,000 children in remote rural communities

In brackish water areas 320 rural primary schools have harvested 18 million litres of rain water through traditional rain water harvesting techniques

To access potable water and protect communities from water borne diseases in 78 villages in 8 states, a total of 1,374 samples were tested by barefoot water chemists

Hand PumpsIdentification of sites by ground water

surveys

Convenience for women is given prime importance

Responsibility for maintenance is in the hands of each village

Training is given to village youth to be Barefoot Mechanics

Impact

• Community participation builds self-reliance

• Installation of around 1,800 hand pumps as an environmental option to save precious ground water pumped from 150-200 ft. below the ground

• Over 350,000 people use these hand pumps, thereby, accessing clean and safe drinking water.

• For the first time in history, safe drinking water is being provided through 67 hand pumps, at a height of 15,000 ft in Ladakh, in J&K. Hand pumps are working at temperatures of – 40C. The government engineers said this was technically impossible to accomplish.

Communication Media Audio Visual, Puppetry , Street Theatre, Screen Printing – to

communicate with the rural poor

More than 2,750 barefoot communicators have been trained to produce puppet shows to communicate with semi-literate audiences on issues of health, education, human rights, casteism, discrimination, against women, environmental degradation etc.

Barefoot printers run the College's silk screen printing presses. They produce posters on health, education and other social issues, announcements and pamphlets for Balmelas, Mahilamelas, and educational material for the night schools.

Barefoot photographers and audiovisual technicians produce and manage slides and photographs, and over 600 audio and video cassettes

The first environmental walk in the history of the State of Rajasthan was organized through 64 villages

Community Health• Train Barefoot doctors, healthcare workers and

upgrade skills of mid-wives

• Teachers and other workers are also given basic healthcare training

• Emphasis on preventive medicine through – Pre and post natal care– Immunization– Education programs – Family planning camps

• Emphasis on bio-chemical medicine and homeopathy because of less side effects and to reduce dependence on pharmaceutical industry

• Ensure consumption of clean drinking water through water testing

• Outpatient dispensaries conduct eye camps, cater to TB patients and general healthcare

“Poor and Female, but Smart!”

WOMEN’S GROUPS/ MAHILA SAMITIAddress policy issues regarding development

needs, rights and injustices

Form pressure groups to struggle against injustices: eg. Min. wages

Has helped in breaking the age old purdah-system and make women join the mainstream

Organise awareness camps to educate on women’s rights, health, hygiene, legal literacy and build self-esteem

Discuss women’s personal problems and possible solutions

Women’s Groups

Mahila Melas (Women’s fairs)Bring women togetherCelebrate their accomplishmentsEncourage formation of new groups

Employment GenerationTrained in healthcare, hand pump mechanics

and BSEs

Social Forestry, Agriculture and Animal Husbandry

Social ForestryDevelopment of wasteland with drought resistant trees,

shrubs and grassesThey also provide fuel, fodder and shadeScarce wood is often used as building material in the

desertThese programs are run by Village CommunitiesHelps in combating desertificationHas converted more than 500 hectares of desert into

pasture lands

Animal HusbandryGoat and sheep farmers are assisted in better animal

managementWork towards fodder resource development in wastelands

Social Forestry, Agriculture and Animal Husbandry`Agriculture

Emphasis on growing fruit-bearing trees and vegetables

Organic FarmingTwo field centres have land to demonstrate agriculture

techniques

Dairy Unit

Animal Breeding Centres

Rural Industries

Craft IndustryThe works involve

AppliqueBlock PrintingWeavingEmbroidery Furniture

CraftsBarefoot College has helped them revive the art by

Assisting in improving designs and techniquesCreation of marketing outletsAccess to credit

Marketing of the craftworks

Bridgehead A fair trade organisation affiliated with OXFAM-Canada

Tilonia An online store supported by a US NGO – ‘Friends of Tilonia’

Traidcraft A leading UK fair trade organisation

ImpactAllow women to work in the present constraints

like purdah and stay-at-home

More than 300 women have supplemented their income

General health awareness, family planning and participation in the local political institutions are part of their training & education which promotes their well-being

The marketing channels have provided great coverage and media attention

Rural IndustriesSolar Supports

Stands and battery boxes for the solar section

Doors and WindowsEmphasis on usage of metal than wood and glass

Geodesic Domes (Buckminster Fuller Design)Constructed with easily available scrap material as

opposed to expensive woodThe roof can carry much more weight of thatchMore durableCan be easily dismantled and carried in a knapsack;

ideal for emergency relief housing

"We keep getting these reports from the World Bank that no one reads, so we decided to put them to some use," founder Bunker Roy says.

Recycling

Waste paper from the library are recycled to make glove puppets for village theatres.

Waste leaves are used in the biomass plants to produce gas for lighting, and in the pathology laboratory

Fertilizers are prepared from manure which are used in organic farming

Sustainability

Funding

Funding Model30% through Government sources40% through foreign agencies 30% through the installation of solar power

packs and the sale of handicraft items

The Barefoot College has received funds from:The Government of IndiaPlan InternationalHivos (Netherlands)German Agro Action (Bonn)The European CommissionUNESCO Paris

Other Sources of Funds

The Barefoot approach to solar electrification of villages has been officially endorsed by the Indian Ministry of Non-Conventional Energy Sources (MNES), and by the Planning Commission of India.

For the solar electrification of villages, the Barefoot College has received funds fromThe Ministry of Non-Conventional Energy Source, MNESThe European UnionThe United Nations Development Programme (5 years'

support from January 2003)The Indian Department of Rural Development's CAPART

programmeThe State Governments of Sikkim, Jammu & Kashmir, and

Rajasthan Money from these sources is being used to cover the

capital costs of solar equipment and project running costs. The monthly contributions are used to cover the cost of repair and maintenance

Money from the Ashden Award was to be used in setting up training centres for BSEs in Ladakh, and in Jammu & Kashmir

StrengthsPeople Centric

Addresses multiple issues and sectors

Use of Technology- Simple and kept in league with local demands

Cost Effective – Costs are efficient and effective with only 8 percent of the costs being utilized as administrative expenditure

Transformation of mindset and attitude of the people

Disadvantages such as illiteracy, language barriers, lack of infrastructural facilities have been converted into advantage

People at the grass root level have been made aware about their rights and duties

Focus on women, gender equity within the organization

StrengthsPeople Centric

Addresses multiple issues and sectors

Simple technology – suited to local demands

Cost Effective - Only 8 percent of the costs being utilized as administrative expenditure

Transformation of mindset and attitude of the people: Awareness of their rights and capabilities

Disadvantages such as illiteracy, language barriers, lack of infrastructural facilities have been converted into advantage

Focus on women, gender equity within the organization

Strengths (cont): Values and Ethics: Social audit workshops

bring in honesty, transparency and accountability

The organization lives and works in close proximity with the rural community bringing in bonding among the community members

Collective decision making process

Self-sufficient in terms of expertise on education and development, solar power etc.

Environmentally friendly in terms of energy, water and waste management

OpportunitiesOpportunities for replication in other

countries

Great opportunity for rural women

Promotion of rural artisans and small scale handicrafts

Child Parliament: A better understanding of societal issues would make the Village Panchayat also stronger

Promotion of sustainable technologies to other areas

Weaknesses and ThreatsExternal dependency: The project still is dependent for

70 percent of its resources from the outside world.

Problems with international replication: Passport/Visa clearance, funding issues, foreign agencies, etc.

Societal pressures: Women’s status, the caste system, etc.

ReplicationHas few written manuals

Believes in hands on experience

Training for everyone

Informal structure

No one is an expert simply people with more experienced

Volunteers can work on a number of areas

Barefoot college is a process, some of its essential elements being intangible

Shiksha KarmiEducation initiative to revitalize and expand

primary education in remote villages in Rajasthan

“An agent of change, especially in the field of education, can work effectively only if he or she belongs to the same locality”

Started with the assistance of Swedish International Development Agency(SIDA)

Identification of rural youth along with SWRC, village education committee ,field centre workers and the community

70% of the learning related to local environment

Teachers are free to conceive their own books, songs and games to initiate the education process

Use models made by the night schools

Lok Jumbish Literally means people’s movement

Objective: “education for all by 2000 by people’s mobilization and participation”

Universalizing primary education

Joint initiative of SIDA, Government of India and Government of Rajasthan

Provision for opportunity to use and upgrade the education - Improving the content and process of education

Making education an instrument for women’s equality

Enabling the lowest castes and poorest sections of the society to equally participate in basic education

Implemented by voluntary agencies taking care of a cluster of villages

What Happened After 2000?Crisis when SIDA pulled out after the Pokharan

Tests

Britain stepped in with a grant aid

Muslim children specially girls received formal

education along with religious education

Delay in switching over these schools to

DPEP(District Primary Education Programme)

Therefore got an extension of lease

Initiation of a Start-upThe Centre in Tilonia helps a person to set up a new

sub-centre in the following ways: Funds are provided to

(a) visit the village/site/state to decide on the location,

(b) prepare a project proposal and rough time plan

(c) identify people from the area to be trained in Tilonia

(d) meet government officials and seek their support

Funds are provided for one year to help the project take off

Eventually the sub-centre is persuaded to acquire a legal identity of its own and to adopt a name of its choice (not SWRC)

This has now happened for several sub-centres.

Replication in India

Solar energy in Himalayas

•Has reached Sikkim, Uttaranchal and Ladakh where the temperature falls down to -40 C.

•28 remote and inaccessible villages in Ladakh have 40 Kws of solar panels that provide three hours of light in the bleakest winter to 1530 families.

•In Leh and Kargil districts, solar energy initiatives have saved a total of 97,000 litres of kerosene.

Global Replication of The Barefoot Approach

Barefoot College is spreading its wings beyond India

Rural poor from developing countries in Africa, Asia, South America etc are brought to India

They go through six months of training in Tilonia

When they go back, they spread their knowledge amongst their countrymen..

Around 340 such success stories so far..

Bhutan

Afghanistan

Mali

Sierra Leone

Kenya

Senegal

Ethiopia

Bolivia

Cameroon

The Gambia

Tanzania

Mauritiania

Participating Countries

Malawi

Sponsors:UNDPAsian Development BankSkoll FoundationBarefoot also finances the project using the

Awards it receivesThe course is a unique combination of modern

science and age-old community wisdomTraining is given in: solar engineering, rain-

water harvesting, etc.Friends of Tilonia is a US-based non-profit

organization providing marketing and business development assistance to the local crafts and works using the power of Internet

Initiatives Taken to Spread AwarenessMove towards non-traditional communications

channels like InternetVideos and photographyParticipation in international networks and

meetings

Few Success Stories… In Afghanistan

Five remote Afghani villages selected 10 representativesThey were trained to become Barefoot Solar Engineers in India The BSEs, back at home, purchased and transported solar panels

to solar electrify the villages for five yearsAll for less than the cost of hiring one UN or World Bank

Consultant in Kabul for one year In Gambia

The women BSEs, after training, have installed solar power systems in two villages

Constructed rooftop rainwater harvesting systems in five schools to provide clean drinking water

The BSEs are paid by the community to maintain these systems

In MoroccoTen years ago, three sheep farmers from the village of

Agrisewal near Marrakech in Morocco came to Tilonia In six months, using only sign language, they became barefoot

solar engineers Installed 100 solar units in the Himalayas in India, and then went

back home.

Success Story: An Illustration

Badakshan: The first solar-electrified village in Afghanistan

Awards & Accolades Awards won by Barefoot:• Alcan Prize for Sustainability‘, 2006 (The biggest prize in this

category)• Ashden Award or ‘Green Oscars’ for Community Welfare• Skoll Awards for Social entrepreneurship ($615,000 over

three years to replicate village-directed development and water supply programs), 2005

• The Tyler Prize for Environmental Achievement, 2004• ESCAP (Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the

Pacific) for exemplary achievement in HRD, 1996

Awards won by Bunker Roy:• L-RAMP Lifetime achievement award (Lemelson Recognition

and Mentoring Programme)• The Aga Khan Award• The World Technology Award for Social Entrepreneurship• The Schwab Foundation for Social Entrepreneurs Award

“First they ignore you, then they laugh at you, then they fight you, then you win.”