Sanjit "Bunker" Roy
Sanjit 'Bunker' Roy is a social activist and an educator who has dedicated the past 40 years of his life to empowering rural communities in areas of extreme poverty.
Sanjit "Bunker" Roy
Sanjit 'Bunker' Roy is a social activist and an educator who has dedicated the past 40 years of his life to empowering rural communities in areas of extreme poverty. He is the Founder of the Barefoot College, a community-based organisation that operates with the mission to provide rural communities with basic services and solutions to support their journey towards self-sufficiency and sustainability.
Rooted in the enduring principles of Mahatma Ghandi, the Barefoot College model has proven to be highly transferable, with more than 80 countries around the world that are based on the Barefoot approach. Its "barefoot solutions" can be broadly categorized into solar energy, water, education, health care, women's empowerment, and wasteland development.
Through his work with Barefoot College and other initiatives, such as the Global Rain Water Harvesting Collective, Bunker Roy has become a leading and inspiring figure for sustainable development. He has been recognised for his exceptional social work and entrepreneurship worldwide. In 2017, he received an Honorary Degree of Laws from Princeton University. He was also selected as one of the 100 most influential people in the world by Time magazine in 2010 and as one of the 50 environmentalists who could save the planet by The Guardian in 2008.
He has received numerous other awards and honours, including the Padma Shri (1986), Tyler Prize for Environmental Achievement (2004), Skoll Award for Social Entrepreneurship (2005), Blue Planet Prize (2011) & Clinton Global Citizen Award (2013).
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