Acción Solidaria Soka was initially 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, medications and sanitary and hygiene products. It was inspired by the philosophy of SGI President Daisaku Ikeda, who encouraged youth to build a global network of young people working for peace and the well-being of humanity.

Acción Solidaria Soka was officially launched 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), benefiting a wide range of vulnerable people.

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 foodstuffs to families most in need—one of its most frequently conducted activities.

Thanks to the food donations of SGIAR members, a food bank has been established. Acción Solidaria Soka also organized food drives at large SGIAR meetings. At one such meeting in 2023, more than 10 tons of nonperishable food was collected and swiftly delivered to those in need.

Following the food drives, Acción Solidaria Soka works together with the Catholic-based organizations Caritas and the Community of 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 offer psychological support and hope.

In 2022, the “Solidarity Clothes Rack” project was launched at various SGIAR centers. The  project collects used clothing in good condition 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

Acción Solidaria Soka has also joined the eco bottle project Eco Botellas Argentina. This is a nationwide project that promotes the 3Rs—reduce, reuse, recycle—aiming to integrate sustainable consumption habits into daily life. To date, the project has collected over 30,000 plastic bottles during monthly collection drives. Small plastic waste such as snack wrappers are put into plastic bottles to make it compact for transportation and recycling. At various SGIAR centers, “green points” have been set up where people can drop off plastic bottles to be taken to local recycling plants. Awareness campaigns have also promoted the use of one’s own reusable bottle or reusable cups.

In another initiative, a group of Acción Solidaria Soka volunteers from Campana in the San Jacinto neighborhood initiated a lagoon cleanup that inspired many local people to join. They removed eight dump trucks of garbage and waste, leading to a dramatic transformation of the area from an informal garbage dump to a multifunctional space where neighborhood families now organize outdoor movie nights and recreational workshops for children.

Acción Solidaria Soka also regularly takes part in cleanup and restoration efforts in the Ribera Norte Municipal Nature Park in San Isidro, Buenos Aires. 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. During each visit, volunteers collect approximately 150 kg of plastic that has been washed downstream, then sort the waste into recyclable bags so that it can be delivered to local recycling plants.

Acción Solidaria Soka volunteers, along with local residents, also conducted hiking and environmental cleanups of pollution in protected mountainous areas of the San Juan province. The cleanup was organized together with the Secretary of State for Environment and Sustainable Development of the Province of San Juan.

Lastly, 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 popular swimming areas.

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, sex education and comprehensive health care.

It has also arranged events around the exhibition “Protagonists of a Culture of Peace,” which highlights the lives of women changemakers who took individual action and remained true to their convictions. The women featured in the exhibition include 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. Docents dress as the protagonists featured in the exhibition. 

Championing a World Free of Nuclear Weapons

Acción Solidaria Soka has also organized exhibition showings and campaigns to raise awareness on 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 by delivering lectures and helping organize events such as the virtual seminar titled “The Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons: Why We Argentinians Should Join,” held in 2022.

Commenting that the activities of Acción Solidaria Soka transmit the “values of peace, coexistence, friendship and solidarity,” she stated, “It truly makes me optimistic to see so many active and committed youth.”

Since 2023, Acción Solidaria Soka has promoted the project “One Million Cranes for Peace” that aims to create a wave of collective goodwill toward 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.

Perspectives from Acción Solidairia Soka Volunteers: