The final circuits have been soldered, lanterns have been

assembled, and suitcases have been packed. All that is left for our
22nd batch of Solar Mamas is to fly back home to their families. Our
final few weeks have flown by and been filled
with activities as their time at Barefoot
College comes to a close. With another visit
to the beautiful of city of Pushkar for
shopping and touring, workshops on
fabricating low-cost solar cookers,
celebrating India’s Independence Day, visits
to Jaipur, Agra and Kishangarh, class on
candle and chalk making, finishing their solar
training, Enriche Bazaar and graduation, our
Solar Mamas have been taking full advantage
of their time here and enjoying every last
moment they have left.

In order to give a more well

rounded understanding of solar power, the
Solar Mamas visited Jaipur to tour the
REIL Manufacturing facility, in which all of Barefoot College’s solar
panels are manufactured. After months of working with solar panels,
they loved getting to see all of the components and steps that go
into creating one. Several joked that they wanted to stay in
Rajasthan for another 6 months to get trained in this as well. While
in Jaipur we also took the chance to visit
Jaipur Foot, a world renowned
manufacturer of low cost
prosthetics for amputees. An
emotional experience for Solar
Mamas who had never seen
disabled persons outfitted in this
way, they were both fascinated
and inspired.

After much anticipation, we finally made the journey to

Agra to visit the iconic Taj Mahal. The Solar Mamas enjoyed a
night in a hotel and a long day exploring one of the most well
known landmarks in the world, reveling in its beauty and
detail, as well as its story. Images of this symbolic building
had reached the distant tiny corners of the world from which
they come, and so this was a historic moment for many which
they will share with family and friends for a long time to come.

 We celebrated the culmination of Enriche with our Enriche

Bazaar, in which all of the Solar Mamas were tasked with
developing their own small business plan, creating products for
sale, and then selling them to our
Barefoot College community using
all of their new entrepreneurship
skills. From banana empanadas by
Guatemala, to woven bags by
Ecuador, to knit products by Turkey,
we had a day full of sampling
delicious foods and beautiful
products showing a bit of the
cultures of our Solar Mamas. This
experience is meant to instill the
motivation, confidence and tangible
skills for our trainees to pursue
alternative sustainable livelihoods in
their futures, both within and beyond
their solar engineering pursuits. Many
of the women now hope to put their business plans into
action upon their return.

And finally, after 6 months of tireless work, we

celebrated the graduation of our 22nd batch of Barefoot
College Solar Engineers. We were incredibly grateful to
welcome the Ambassadors of Mali and Ecuador as well as
the Undersecretary of ITEC to share in our graduation
ceremony and present the Solar Mamas with their
graduation materials. Through the mediums of song, dance,
and poetry, each country shared a piece of their culture
with our community. The Solar Mamas were each
presented with Barefoot College shirts, a
Diva solar lantern, scarf, solar cooker, and
photo album full of pictures from
themselves from the program. Laughter,
tears, and a lot of memories were shared as
Solar Mamas begin to close this experience
and look forward to their futures.

This group of women arrived in

Tilonia 6 months ago already capable and
brilliant, but over the course of the program,
they have transformed into more empowered versions of themselves. They
have become challengers, leaders and change makers, bringing light and knowledge home,
creating brighter futures for themselves and their families. Though their time at Barefoot
College has finished, their next journey is only just beginning. May we all provide support and
observe in awe as they return home and begin changing their worlds.