Solar Bridge School

Project Details

Herding goats, looking after younger siblings or helping the parents earn an income - this is a child's daily life in remote areas of Rajasthan, India. Their future is mapped out from the beginning: working as a child, accepting smaller jobs later, and barely being able to provide for the family as an adult. Thus, poverty carries on from generation to generation. A never-ending spiral of poverty – especially for women and girls.

This is where Barefoot College comes in. It is committed to helping where the public school system doesn’t work, and provides children with a comprehensive basic education. The solar bridge schools are located directly in the villages where the children live and work. Today, there are already 58 solar bridge schools where 1,300 children, mostly girls, receive an evening education. With your support, we will finance a solar bridge school education for 30 children for an entire year.

The children do not only acquire skills in reading, writing and mathematics, but also learn how to deal with important everyday-issues: how do you mail a letter, what do you do at the bank and how do you herd goats. The children are medically examined on a regular basis, and they also receive important basic knowledge on health issues (e.g. the importance of clean drinking water and sanitation). Another important aspect is the Children's Parliament, where important questions of everyday-life can be discussed and the children help run the solar bridge schools. This way, they receive a basic democratic education at the same time.

The students, their families and communities are directly involved in the management of the schools, and so schools are monitored locally – a 360 degree view!