Bindi International Association (formerly known as Barefoot College International) was established on July 20, 2015, with the aim of empowering rural women across India and contributing to the achievement of the United Nations' sustainable development goals (UNSDGs). It had a robust Social Enterprise structure and was designed to meet the evolving landscapes of both community-led needs and emerging compliance and legal criteria in line with its activities. Founded in Rajasthan, India, the organization is now permanently headquartered in Harmara village, Kishangarh, Rajasthan and operates with the fundamental belief that women should be at the forefront of all initiatives focused on fostering economic and social development.

Our focus on sustainable development through women's empowerment is evident in our approach to providing financial independence to women in rural areas. The development of Confidence, Competence and Self-Advocacy is at the heart of all our operational programming. Women's entrepreneurship has been instrumental in achieving women's empowerment and economic independence, leading to community development. Bindi International is committed to providing digital knowledge and training to women in remote areas to enable them to participate and access all the opportunities presented in the rapidly evolving digital world around them.

Our dedication to bringing together rural and urban youth has been fundamental as has been a commitment to identify and encourage a new kind of rural professional.

The organisation’s inaugural class of solar engineers began with 15 Indian solar engineers and 18 international solar engineers undergoing five months of residential training to electrify 3,300 households across 16 communities. As the years passed, more women were trained, and today, Bindi International has trained 1,198 women from rural communities across India, and the number continues to increase with each passing day. 3 Regional training locations are active in other states and our work reaches across more than 13 states in India.

Bindi International’s mission is not limited to solar training. In 2015, they began the ‘Digital Night School’ which has since been upgraded to the ‘Digital Community School’, where children are educated using the integration of a digital curriculum and hardware. We have directly reached 3,971 children, and 12 rural teachers have been trained. Indirectly, they have reached 12,413 children. We have implemented extensive messaging and social normative work on the inclusion of girls in formal education to more than 40,000 people.

Our team has also worked diligently to promote health and prosperity within communities through wellness initiatives, reaching over 500,000 people. Bindi International’s mission is the holistic development of communities and lasting systems change. Therefore, we focus on advocacy, development, education, livelihood, solar and overall community development alongside the involvement of government and other local stakeholders.

One of our most significant accomplishments has been the successful training of illiterate or semi-literate rural women on various IT tools, such as computers, laptops, iPhones, iPads, iMacs, smartphones, and the Internet. To date, we have provided training to more than 500 women in rural areas, connecting them to the digital world and enabling them to take advantage of the opportunities it offers.

Our mission to empower rural women and contribute to sustainable development means we focus heavily on women's entrepreneurship and financial independence. This means a continual process of innovation and learning is both a structured and responsive approach.