Barefoot College wins $1mln Alcan prize for sustainability

New Delhi, Dec 3 (UNI) Barefoot College, located in Tilonia, Rajasthan, has been announced the winner of the 2006 one-million-dollar Alcan Prize for sustainability by Alcan Inc 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.

An international adjudication panel of distinguished experts on sustainability selected the Barefoot College from about 200 entries received from 55 countries.

''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.

UNI SRS DKS/PKS KN1637