You can’t address a complex problem with a linear solution. You need a network. Through our growing partnerships with corporations and foundations committed to global change for the betterment of all, we’ve expanded our impact and created pathways out of poverty for women.
These new enterprise opportunities are the natural outgrowth of our more than four decades of work alongside the rural poor. In 2017 we finished our first year as a Not-for-Profit Social company that empowers women in business that now includes:
- Bindi Solar Products
- Barefoot Honey,
- Barefoot Coffee and
- Barefoot AmritChuran Nutritional Supplements
We are pleased to announce we have self-funded nearly 27% of the annual costs for running our wholly non profit activities in the sister organisations under the Barefoot College umbrella.
At Barefoot College, we see scale, not limited to our single organisation and its resources but much more importantly in how Barefoot College can form alliances that will lead to a more holistic opportunity of systems scale. Leaning into our respective strengths, we can heighten impact and influence all relevant players towards solving bigger social problems and the wider social inequalities that perpetuate intergenerational poverty.
The issue of inequality is complex because it is not about being poor. The issue is about remaining poor. It is about human beings confronted with insurmountable barriers to achieving their aspirations. So levelling the barriers and creating opportunities that are consciously designed for people to succeed is critical.
These enterprise opportunities for the rural poor do exactly that.
“For me, it’s always about the people,” says Meagan Fallone, CEO of Barefoot College International. “We are grounded in a basic and unwavering respect for the rural poor and their existing capacities and capabilities.”
