The Barefoot College is an NGO based in the Ajmer district of Rajasthan, India. It is a grassroots organisation that works in around 200 villages and in each one engages with local people to empower them to identify their own problems and find solutions for these. Initially their work focused on rain water conservation structures as Rajasthan is a very drought prone region, however they currently provide support in 14 different fields. Maddie Hubbard lived on their main campus, in the village of Tilonia, for six weeks from January 2012 as part of her placement funded by the Traverse Trust's Travel Award. The areas she primarily engaged with were education and women’s empowerment.

Throughout Rajasthan the government school system is poor, however the Barefoot College’s approach is to help those most in need, young people who are most often from the poorest families, where they're needed to help at home or herd animals during the day instead of learning. The innovative approach they take is to provide solar-lit night schools for 3 hours on six days a week. They endeavour to make learning fun for children; teaching them useful skills such as literacy, numeracy, animal husbandry and about health and hygiene. Making use use of songs, games and visual aids, they've been able to prove to many sceptical parents the value of allowing their children to attend.

The children from all the different village night schools are taught about democracy as well by taking part in elections and forming a children’s parliament, with elected ministers who take an active role in helping run the schools. I met the current president, a 14 year old girl, on a dusty street in her village. While the Indian government claims to support the Right To Education, until they provide the opportunity for the very poorest in society to learn, like the Barefoot College is doing in this limited way, universal education can never become a reality.

Rajasthan has a very traditional and conservative culture. Many women stay in purdah, and after marriage are expected to stay in the family home of their in-laws and work. Men hold all the power and are able to bankrupt the girl’s family with dowry demands. The Barefoot College works to empower women and unite them. They have formed women’s groups in around 70 villages. Over time they have noticed significantly more willingness by families to allow their daughters and daughter-in-laws to attend, and confidence has grown. Among the most radical they have been involved in mass protest against atrocities committed against women like rape and bride burnings, but in general the meetings are used to spread information and women’s rights, health, and also new government schemes that effect them and they can take advantage of.

“While I was in Rajasthan I was lucky enough to attend the annual women’s day celebration, where 4000 rural women came together for a mela, where there was singing, puppetry, games and many speeches, most notably by the activist Aruna Roy. It was an amazing and inspiring sight.”