An Indian organization, the Barefoot College, has won this year’s
$1 million Alcan Prize for Sustainability. The prize annually
recognizes NGOs, not-for-profit, and civil society organizations
working to build sustainable societies around the world.
The Barefoot College, set up in 1972, works with India’s poorest people
to tackle problems surrounding drinking water, female education, health
and sanitation, rural unemployment, income generation, electricity and
power, as well as social awareness and the conservation of ecological
systems in rural communities.
Located in Tilonia in India’s northwest Rajasthan state, it was
selected from a field of almost 200 entries from 55 countries
around the world by an international adjudication panel of
experts on sustainability.
Alcan said the college ‘has created an inspirational ripple effect in
rural India and communities in other countries through its innovative
work in demonstrating how empowerment, grass roots technology and
education enables people to promote sustainable communities’.
Four Indian organizations, including the college, were on the shortlist of ten candidates for
this year’s prize. The other three were the Energy and
Resources Institute, International Development Enterprises and the
Naandi Foundation.
Alcan, the international metals, mining, power generation and packaging
group, gives the prize to recognize outstanding contributions to
economic, environmental and social sustainability by non-profit,
non-governmental and civil society organizations. The International
Business Leaders’ Forum makes the assessments without Alcan’s
involvement to ensure credibility and objectivity.
As well as awarding the $1m prize, the judges also select up to four
recipients of Alcan grants, worth $15,000 each, enabling
representatives of the organizations to earn postgraduate certificates
in cross-sector partnership from the UK’s Cambridge University. The Naandi Foundation was one of the four.
