Solar energy engineers are increasing in rural villages in India. Surprisingly, the engineers are the mothers.
Why did the mothers in India learn solar energy technology?
International Support, Unmanaged System
India, where there were many poor people since the past, has received a lot of support from the international community. In particular, the international community has provided solar modules or solar panels to supply electricity to India. This is because there were many areas where electricity was not supplied due to the vast territory and the extreme gap between the rich and the poor.
But rural residents in India did not have the knowledge and skills to manage modules and panels when they failed. Also, young men who learned management skills tended to leave their hometowns. As a result, solar energy has turned into a headache for the town. Despite the efforts of the international community, darkness has returned to India.
Solar Mamas Become Town Heroes
Heroes appear in a turbulent time. With wrinkled faces, it was the women of the village who assembled and installed solar modules themselves and provided light and electricity to the village.
They are called the Solar Mamas.
The Barefoot College
India has an educational NGO called Barefoot College*. The university has a ‘Solar Mamas’ course for older women in rural villages. After a short training period of 6 months, women are reborn as a solar energy expert.
* Founded in 1972 by Bunker Roy, Barefoot College was established as an educational institution for rural prosperity. In particular, it aims at practical education in rural areas such as technology development, health, drinking water, women’s empowerment, and solar power.
Why mothers?
Most of the men asked for an official certificate of education after completing the course. This was because they wanted to get out of the poor community and head to the city.
But the purpose of Barefoot College is to develop poor communities. Therefore, they invited mothers who had a special attachment to their village. Mothers diligently completed six months of education and returned to their community to demonstrate their skills.
How did they become an engineer in six months? According to the statistics, 34% of women in India are illiterate.
Source: Barefoot College
So, the Barefoot College provided color drawings as textbooks instead of writing. By using colors to recognize the details of the electrical circuits, even illiterate mothers could easily assemble and install the equipment. In addition, they focused on practical experience rather than theory. They had step-by-step exercises to build confidence.
Mother’s Heart for the Village
This is an interview with Mairame Ba, 59, who completed the Mother of the Sun program in Senegal.
“I loved these six months spent in Toubab Dialao, where I learnt a lot. I never imagined that I could become a professional in solar energy at my age and without ever having been to school. I can’t wait to return to my village to bring electricity to my community. Having solar energy in our community will change our lives.”
Electricity Access Rate Increase by Solar Energy
The life of rural India has changed a lot. You can see solar panels installed around the village or on the roofs.
Women are using solar rice cookers to cook.
Solar Mamas are passing on solar energy skills to other women.
Currently, Barefoot College has 2,200 trained solar energy engineers in 93 countries and installed lights in 18,047 homes.
There are still 770 million people around the world living without energy.
But the darkness of the world is turning into light thanks to organizations like Barefoot College.
As a result of empathizing with the situation in poor rural villages and thinking about what changes are really needed in their lives, Solar Mamas could emerge.
Want to know more about Barefoot College?
www.barefootcollege.org