When Joyce left Makungana, a village in Malawi, for the Indian state of Rajasthan, it was the first time she had ever left her country in all her 39 years.

She arrived at the Barefoot College in Tilonia village, Rajasthan for a six-month programme in solar engineering. Her husband and in laws were not happy with the decision but she felt this was her chance to secure a better future for the family.
These thoughts are echoed by the many semi-literate and illiterate women belonging to marginalized regions and communities, who have had a second lease of life following their stint at the Barefoot College.

The Barefoot College is a unique concept of empowerment at the grassroots level. It began in 1972 with the belief that ‘solutions to rural problems lie within the community’. It encourages practical knowledge and skills rather than paper qualifications. It is an outstanding example of the way a simple approach can work to bring about far reaching changes in the world. It has won many international awards for its innovative approach to empowering poor and rural women. In 2010 Barefoot’s founder, Sanjit ‘Bunker’ Roy, was named as one of the ‘100 People Who Most Affect Our World’ in Time Magazine.

The film Footsteps: A Barefoot Story is about Barefoot’s rural solar electrification project where numerous illiterate rural women from all over the world, in particular Africa, are being trained to be solar engineers. Through the stories of these women a fascinating tale of sustainability, demystification of technology, and social inclusion will unfold. At Barefoot, women from as many as 5 to 10 different countries live and learn together for six months without even knowing each other’s languages. They then go back to solar electrify their villages, which have never had electricity.

So far we have captured Barefoot’s efforts of bringing light to 5 remote villages across Nubra Valley in Ladakh. We have started filming with the participants from different countries who have come to attend the 6-month program at the College campus in Tilonia, Rajasthan. We will follow these women through the program, and also document the eventual process of electrification in their respective villages across Kenya, South Africa, Tanzania, and Jordon.