Barefoot College wins $1 mln Alcan prize for sustainability

New Delhi, Nov 28 (UNI) Barefoot College, located in Tilonia, Rajasthan, was today announced the winner of the 2006 one-million-dollar Alcan Prize for sustainability by Alcan and the International Business Leaders Forum (IBLF).

The prize annually recognises non-profitable NGOs and civil society organisations working to build sustainable societies around the world.

The college was selected from a field of almost 200 entries from 55 countries around the world by an international adjudication panel of distinguished experts on sustainability.

''The Barefoot College has made a valuable contribution to India's rural and impoverished citizens by providing them with necessary and practical skills to improve their communities,'' said Alcan Inc Senior Vice President (Corporate and External Affairs) Daniel Gagnier.

Barefoot College is engaged in improving the lives of India's poorest people since 1972 by emphasising practical knowledge and skills over paper qualifications through a learning-by-doing process of education.

It addresses the issues of 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.

Alcan Inc is a leading global materials company, delivering high quality products and services worldwide, with world-class technology and operations in bauxite mining, alumina processing, primary metal smelting, power generation, aluminum fabrication, engineered solutions as well as flexible and specialty packaging.

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