Digital Integration: Barefoot College Solar Mamas

Objective
Evaluate the opportunity and potential for impact resulting from the transferral of Barefoot College unique rural
educational Content and Curriculums, to digital formats. Identification of existing Apple applications that would
enhance and deepen the efficacy of existing and ongoing Barefoot College Educational initiatives.In 2015 through a unique CSR engagement with Apple India The Barefoot College has been able to begin
integrating quality and consistent hardware into the Women’s Barefoot Solar Engineering Curriculum and
ENRICHE Co-curriculums. through a series of training and exposures, the Master Trainer learning community
has learned to use and integrate iPads into the classroom, recording and developing content and supporting
the learning process through projection TVs and integrated Apple TV systems. The Women Solar Engineer
learning community have been for the first time exposed to digital skills. With integration into their daily learning
process, have begun to see the tremendous benefit of supporting absorption and implementation on concepts
through their use. A pre loaded set of apps offering circuitry games, allows the women to practice out of
classroom hours and mastery of basic features allows them to record their progress, trouble shoot and
communicate across language barriers without the use of the written word.

Additioanlly, the CSR engagement was o make available, on a pilot basis, iPads to barefoot schools and creches and to identify content within the existing curriculum, inclusive of the teacher training curriculum, that is well
suited for wider dissemination within the Barefoot College network (and potentially further afield) by digital
technology.

Results 

• September 2016: 40 women from Sengal, Tanzania, Madagascar, Guatemala, and Fiji have finished their 6 months training course in India to become Women Barefoot Solar Engineers
• Each Woman was given an ipad to gain access to workshops in women’s reproductive health, wastewater management, basic mathematics and pre literacy games. The women have been able to share content across the ENRICHE curriculum in a viral approach which is planned to expand when they return to their communities.
• August 2016: A program of retraining for new technology that will affect 2,800 households across  14 Pacific Island Countries was aimed at retraining around 30 Solar Engineers to install and maintain solar systems and further enabling them to become professional solar trainers
• The barefoot IT team is in the initial stages of integrating ipads in the nights schools and building capacity among the teachers. This is being piloted in 4 schools in India.