I love this story of personal empowerment mixed with environmental sustainability so much, I just had to share it.
It’s a feel-good story about a brilliant solar power initiative happening in India that is truly inspiring.
In developed nations, we have the luxury of continuing to rely on coal-powered electricity — for now (though it’s high time our governments began implementing solar and other sustainable power on a large scale, don’t you think?)
We tend to take electricity for granted, but there are millions of people worldwide who don’t have the luxury of having power delivered to their homes at the flick of a switch.
Following Gandhi’s philosophy that sophisticated technology should be available to poor rural villagers to help them become self-sufficient, the Barefoot College in Rajasthan trains rural people from India, and other Asian countries, to become solar engineers.
The college has been pioneering solar electrification of rural villages since 1989, and has found the best candidates to be middle-aged women, who learn to install and maintain solar powered home lighting systems in their villages and teach others to do the same.
It’s all about demystifying and decentralising the process, so that a non-literate grandma in a small village can provide her family with power. How brilliant is that?
Graduates of the college have brought solar power to 350 villages in India and to 19,000 households in 19 countries that had no electricity.
You can read more about the wonderful the Barefoot College is doing (also with water, education, health care, communication and livelihood) by clicking this link. http://www.barefootcollege.org/default.asp
Or watch this short video. It will make your day!
nice