Empowering Communities, Caring for the Environment—Acción Solidaria Soka
SGI-Argentina’s Acción Solidaria Soka is about walking the talk. It is a youth-driven movement focused on creating positive change in society, empowering and caring for people in need and expanding the network of individuals committed to working for change.
How it All Began
Acción Solidaria Soka was founded to support Soka Gakkai members in need during the COVID-19 pandemic, such as the elderly or those financially impacted by the pandemic, by providing food, sanitary and hygiene products and medications. The name Acción Solidaria Soka was inspired by President Daisaku Ikeda, who encouraged youth to build a global network of youth working for peace and the well-being of humanity.
It’s creation was officially announced in March 2021 at a large meeting of SGI-Argentina (SGIAR) youth from across the country.
Argentinian Nobel Peace Prize Laureate and human rights activist Dr. Adolfo Pérez Esquivel attended the meeting. Referring to young people as the builders of peace, he encouraged the youth present to “build a world of solidarity that alleviates the suffering of those who need it most and brings hope to their hearts.”
Since then, Acción Solidaria Soka has grown significantly and has an expansive range of activities that include those in support of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
The Guiding Principles
Acción Solidaria Soka activities are based on three guiding principles:
- Engage in Human Revolution
This principle is based on the belief that true peace and social prosperity are rooted in individual transformation, or human revolution, that human beings are the builders and shapers of society. - Take Daily Action to Build Peace
This principle emphasizes that even small efforts in daily life and local environments can have a significant impact. These actions are grounded in Buddhist compassion and a recognition of the preciousness of every person. - Connect Youth to Tackle Global Challenges
This principle is based on the motto “think global, act local.” Actions taken by youth in local communities in Argentina have the potential to inspire youth elsewhere and, thereby, create change on a global scale—generating waves of dynamic, shared action.
It’s All About Compassionate Action
Responding to Poverty
Argentina’s economic crisis has affected the entire population: reports indicate that half of the country’s children, adolescents and youth live in poverty. In response, Acción Solidaria Soka launched a campaign to combat hunger and poverty by delivering nonperishable food to families most in need—one of its most frequent activities.
Thanks to the food donations of SGIAR members, a food bank has been established. Food drives are organized at large SGIAR meetings by Acción Solidaria Soka. At one such meeting in 2023, more than 10 tons of nonperishable food was collected and swiftly delivered to those in need.
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With the food donations received at the 2024 Soka Summit for Peace [Photo courtesy of Acción Solidaria Soka] -
Receiving food donations for redistribution to those in need [Photo courtesy of Acción Solidaria Soka]
Following the food drives, Acción Solidaria Soka works together with the Catholic organizations Caritas and the Community of the Sant’Egidio to deliver the food to various neighborhood soup kitchens throughout Buenos Aires Province and other regions of the country.
Acción Solidaria Soka youth also meet weekly to prepare, package and distribute hot meals to people experiencing homelessness in parts of Buenos Aires, aiming not only to deliver a hot meal but to also to offer support and hope.
In 2022, the “Solidarity Clothes Rack” project was launched at various SGIAR centers. Used clothing in good condition is collected for donation and reuse. Since its launch, this initiative has provided clothing to more than 10,000 people of all ages.
Caring for the Environment
Recycling Plastic
Acción Solidaria Soka joined the eco bottle project Eco Botellas Argentina. It is a nationwide project that promotes the 3Rs—reduce, reuse, recycle—aiming to integrate sustainable consumption habits into daily life. To date, over 30,000 plastic bottles have been collected during monthly collection drives. At various SGIAR centers, “green points” have been set up where people can drop plastic bottles off to be taken to local recycling plants. Awareness campaigns have also promoted the use of personal bottles or reusable cups.
Beautifying a Lagoon
A group of Acción Solidaria Soka members from Campana in the San Jacinto neighborhood initiated a lagoon cleanup that inspired many local people to join. As a result, eight dump trucks of garbage and waste were removed, leading to a dramatic transformation of the area. It was transformed from an informal garbage dump to a multifunctional space where neighborhood families now organize outdoor movie nights and recreational workshops for children.
Restoring a Natural Reserve
Acción Solidaria Soka regularly takes part in cleanup and restoration efforts in the Ribera Norte Municipal Nature Park in San Isidro, Buenos Aires. Each visit, volunteers remove approximately 150 kg of plastic, sorting the waste into recyclable bags so that it can later be delivered to local recycling plants.
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In the Ribera Norte Municipal Nature Park, Acción Solidaria Soka volunteers collect garbage and debris that was washed downstream. The park is a protected green space on the coast of Río de la Plata, an estuary formed by the union of the Parana and Uruguay rivers. [Photo courtesy of Acción Solidaria Soka] -
The volunteers with the fruits of their day’s work in the Ribera Norte Municipal Nature Park—more than 150 kg of plastic in recyclable bags ready to be distributed to local recycling plants [Photo courtesy of Acción Solidaria Soka]
Awareness-raising Eco Hikes
Another example is in the province of San Juan, due to pollution in mountainous areas, Acción Solidaria Soka volunteers conduct hiking and environmental cleanups in protected areas together with local residents. Water jugs for the cleanups have been donated by the Secretary of State for Environment and Sustainable Development of the Province of San Juan.
Beach Cleanups
In the coastal city of Mar del Plata and nearby towns, Acción Solidaria Soka has carried out beach cleanup activities on several occasions, collecting waste and conducting awareness-raising campaigns in local bathing areas.
Laying the Foundations of Peace
Empowering Women
Acción Solidaria Soka has co-organized various meetings and seminars with SGIAR’s Soka Women’s Center for Peace, inviting expert speakers to talk on themes related to gender equality, including the leading role of women in the 21st century, sexual education, and comprehensive health care.
It has also arranged events around the exhibition “Protagonists of a Culture of Peace” that traces the lives of changemaking women who took individual action and remained true to their convictions. It includes environmentalist Wangari Maathai, advocate for girls’ right to education Malala Yousafzai, and the Plaza de Mayo mothers and grandmothers, who resisted the Argentine military regime between 1976–1983 and campaigned for the return of their disappeared children.
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Promoting gender equality: “Protagonists of a Culture of Peace” exhibition at the Auditorio de la Paz in Buenos Aires. The docents dress as the protagonists featured in the exhibition. [Photo courtesy of Acción Solidaria Soka] -
Warmly welcoming people who bring their eco bottles [Photo courtesy of Acción Solidaria Soka]
Championing a World Free of Nuclear Weapons
Raising the Issue
Acción Solidaria Soka has organized exhibition showings and campaigns to raise awareness of the issue of the abolition of nuclear weapons. Dr. Karen Hallberg, an Argentine physicist and Secretary General of the Pugwash Conferences on Science and World Affairs, has supported these activities, delivering lectures and jointly organizing events such as the virtual seminar on “The Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons: Why We Argentinians Should Adhere,” held in 2022.
Commenting that the activities of Acción Solidaria Soka transmit the “values of peace, coexistence, friendship and solidarity,” she said, “It truly makes me optimistic to see so many active and committed youth.”
One Million Cranes for Peace
Since 2023, Acción Solidaria Soka has promoted the project “One Million Cranes for Peace” that aims to create a wave of collective goodwill about the abolition of nuclear weapons around the world. People in every locality around Argentina have been invited to add their virtual crane in support of peace and a nuclear-weapon-free world.
What Accion Solidaire Soka Volunteers Say
Mariel: “The moments that have touched me the most include witnessing so many young people bring home-cooked meals to prepare food packages for people living on the streets and then engage in deep, equal conversations with those individuals about happiness, desires and dignity. I am proud to have the opportunity to take concrete action on issues that concern me and to train in different areas so that I can contribute meaningfully to society.”
Aitor: “During the fires in my province, I was moved by the heart of Acción Solidaria Soka members coming together in the face of adversity to create value. This experience ignited in me a deep desire and commitment to become someone who does not waste a single minute in working for the happiness of the people in my community.”
Adriana: “In my role as a park ranger, I have faced many challenges. The hardest part for me has always been to persevere and remain hopeful . . . despite adversities such as floods, pollution, deforestation, animal deaths and fires. Through the guidance of my mentor Daisaku Ikeda, I have strengthened myself and learned to overcome these hardships, always seeking to create value through my own initiative and action, because, as he says, all that is needed is the decision of a single person.”
