May 24th: As soon as we arrived at Barefoot College I could tell that there was definitely something different about this place. Everyone just seems to have this light surrounding them. It is truly beautiful and inspiring. Barefoot College was founded by Bunker Roy in 1972. For more than 40 years they have been empowering women from rural communities all over the world to bring about sustainable change through education and solar electrification. Barefoot College brings women from villages that are typically dominated by men and trains them to become solar engineers, parabolic solar cooker engineers, and day and night school teachers.  They also employ sustainable practices throughout the campus such as rain water harvesting and solar electrification. As soon as I learned of these practices, I was astonished by how sustainable this rural community actually is. It is a truly unbelievable sight. I think that because I am a Landscape Architecture major, I was overly excited when I learned about their sanitation systems. In general, they use plants to purify sewage water before it is reused.  I was in awe and could not think of a better case study for how Landscape Architecture can be implemented in the developing world.

A parabolic solar cooker in the making!

As soon as we arrived, we took a tour around the old and new campuses. We were able to meet with the women who were becoming solar engineers. After 6 months of training, they are expected to return to their home country and are responsible for providing solar electricity for 50 homes in their village. What is truly amazing about this process is that these women speak many different languages and there is a defiant communication boundary. Some of the women do not understand the training at first, but through repetition they learn and then teach others in their community. Some of these women also build mosquito nets and sanitary napkins that are available for sale. After meeting these women and spending time with them it is very easy to tell that they are gaining a sense of empowerment through this work. They are making a difference and creating a voice for strong women across the globe. My time here has taught me that being women does not mean that you are weak. It only makes you stronger. 

Ze Guest House