SOLAR MAMAS: Are women better at getting out of poverty than men?
An inspiring film about one woman’s attempt to light up her world.
Rafea is an uneducated Bedouin mother from the Jordanian desert. She gets the chance to go to the Barefoot College, where middle-aged women from poor communities train to become solar engineers, and bring power to their communities. The college brings together women from all over the world. But learning about electrical components without being able to read, write or understand English is the easy part. Rafea is forced to risk everything, including losing her children, if she wants to complete the course.
Use our interactive tool to discover the links between education and poverty where you live. Watch an empowering short film about poverty and choice, In your Hands. Share the trailer.
Tell us what you think. The Barefoot college trains women because it believes this benefits not just them but their families and the wider community. So, are women really better at getting out of poverty?
Directed by: Mona Eldaief & Jehane Noujaim
Produced by: Mette Heide
Production company: Plus Pictures & Steps International