For the poorest, ignored by society or government, illiterate, jobless and living in the rural areas of Rajasthan in India there is a place where they can improve their skills and make some money for living. Even for women, forgotten in that men – dominated society; there is a place where are equal to men and respected. In small village called Tilonia the Barefoot College was established in 1972. This very special institution works in rural areas of 14 Indian states now.

Large campus in Tilonia was built in 1988 without any paper plans. Rural people educating in Barefoot college (who called themselves Barefoot architects, masons, smiths, builders or technicians) designed and built all the buildings alone. No real professionals cooperated on in.

„That is the main idea of Barefoot college. To show to the marginalized people that their work can be valuable,“ said Ram Niwas (45), Barefoot Communicator. Campus, that are not only simple buildings. There are rainwater collectors on the roof of each one building and a big reservoir under the stage in an open – air theatre. Further, there are solar panels and solar cookers. The whole campus uses solar energy and rain water is used for irrigation of gardens and flushing of toilets. Contrary to the rest of India, the campus is absolutely clean and garbage is separated here.

I meet several women and a young boy to set up small radios. Raghav Kumar (24) is illiterate young man from small village. At home he started to set up radio. Just for fun. He didn´t know completely nothing about electrical components and radio signal transmitting. After several months of work he invented his own radio. Later his own broadcasting studio. Then he started to broadcast his own radio show for people in his village. And then regional authorities came and took him into prison. He spreaded radio signal without licence so he committed an offence and has to pay a fine and spent six months in prison. „He came to Barefoot college after. Now we produce radios according to his patent and he is a campus radio star,“ Ram Niwas explanis. Because there is also radio and TV station in Barefoot College.

We visit puppetters then. Puna Ram (48) is head of them. He is from family of puppetters but couldn´t earn enough money without Barefoot College support. Here he can preserve cultural traditions of his family and village. But here are also musicians or storytellers or singers or another artists.

Everybody who come to Barefoot college can find an activity which he or she likes the best. Somebody is good in technical things, so he or she can work as an engineer or technician or produce electronic components. If he or she likes to cook, can work in a kitchen. They need also cleaners for the small guest – house in campus. And also gardeners, builders, servicemen, electricians, drivers, carpenters. And lots of teachers. Because except of college there is an educational programm in 110 villages in Rajasthan. Barefoot college has opened 159 schools for children who cannot attend state schools because they have to work during a day – in fields, brick plants or sheperd animals. So they attend night schools. 7000 children, 70 percent of it girls, attend night schools in Rajasthan. They have better chance in life wit some education. Furthermore, children create their own children parliament and government. „In their government there is also minister for solar energy,“ explains Ram Niwas. „Fourteen years old girl who is interested in solar energy. She can share information with her family and home village.“

Everybody gets chance in Barefoot college. He can learn but also teach the others. Maybe someone know how to read or write but doesn´t understand how to make a water – pump. And someone is illiterate but can teach the others about water pumps. Everybody is teacher and student at the same time. Age doesn´t play any role here. There are children but also fifty years old men and women in the class. Even old illiterate people discover what does it mean, to read and write. They are allowed to read newspaper and books form a college library.

But students come also from abroad now. In Tilonia there are ladies from Kenya, Uganda and Mali now. They came to learn how to construct solar panels and produce a solar energy. After returning home they will construct the same system for their villages. „We didn´t want men to come because they wouldn´t use their knowleadges for their villages but just for themselves; they would leave home and go to find good jobs somewhere,“ Ram Niwas thinks. „But women always help to the community.“

Last from the last members of society create great values in Barefoot college. They help themselves but also the whole community. They can perceive themselves like valuable person. And it is a little miracle.