From Personal Transformation to Community Change
Good evening. My name is Juhi Sinha.
When my daughter was three months old, my husband left us. That time, I had moved from Kolkata to Delhi to build a better life, but instead, I found myself lost, anxious, and hopeless. That’s when a friend introduced me to Daisaku Ikeda’s philosophy and BSG in January 1997. What stayed with me was one powerful idea – that every individual has the power to transform their life and contribute meaningfully to society.
Reading books by Dr. Ikeda changed everything within me. I stopped seeing myself as a victim and started rebuilding my life with purpose.
I educated myself in business, started working from home, and built a jewellery design enterprise – while raising my daughter independently. But even after the success, a question remained within:
“Is my success only for myself – or can it serve a larger purpose?”
In 2021, when the BSG for SDG initiative was launched, I found a direction for my question. For the first time, I saw a structured way to translate my inner intent into real social action. I began thinking about my father’s village in Bihar, called Niranjanpur.
This was a place I had visited many times growing up and had seen:
- Girls married too early
- Families struggling for basic survival
- Women with no financial independence
- And dreams quietly fading before they could begin
And I knew – this is where I had to act.
In April 2025, I took a decisive step. I roused all courage within me, let go of all fears, and set up a women’s skill training centre in Niranjanpur, called the Ajay Foundation – named after my father. This was my attempt to repay my debt of gratitude to my roots, and an effort toward dignity-driven empowerment.
The journey was far from easy, with issues like difficulties in acquiring land and overseeing its construction while managing everything remotely.
We started with 20 local village women, training them in traditional lac bangle craftsmanship.
However, none of them had worked before. They had limited education and no sense of design or colour. There were also logistical challenges like getting raw materials into a remote village, arranging skilled trainers, and ensuring continuity of the operations.
But the biggest challenge was internal – to stay steady without giving up and to believe that change is possible.
And this is where my mentor’s guidance and spiritual support from BSG became my anchor. Dr. Ikeda says – the path to achieving SDGs will not be smooth or easy. But there is no impasse we cannot surmount.
I held onto these words and pushed forward.
Within three months, something remarkable happened. The same women who once hesitated to speak were now creating beautiful designs and earning an income.
Today:
- All 20 women have their bank accounts and earn ₹40,000 – ₹50,000 annually
- Many have started additional income streams
- Their children are going to school and computer classes
- One young girl even won a gold medal in her Class 10 exams
The biggest transformation, however, is not in the numbers. It is in their confidence. They speak up, make decisions, dare to believe, and dream.
When I visit the village today, I no longer see helplessness. I see pride and possibility.
This journey has also transformed me. It helped me move from: Living for myself… to living for others. From fear… to purpose. From limitation… to contribution.
I’ve learnt that resilient futures are not built by systems alone. They are built by individuals who choose to take responsibility. I stand here today not as someone extraordinary – but as someone who was given the right encouragement to act. And if I could do this, anyone can.
I aim to expand this initiative to more villages and enable more women to become self-reliant. Because when one woman rises, with her, the family rises, the community rises, and the future changes.