Er. Ajay Kumar

Chairman's Message · अध्यक्ष का संदेश

Dear Friends, Well-wishers, and Partners,

When I founded PUJA Social Empowerment Foundation in 2026, I was driven by a simple but urgent truth: the people who work the hardest in our society — the farmers of Shahdol, the tribal families of Mandla, the women of Umaria — were being left furthest behind by the systems that should have served them.

I had spent years as an engineer — solving technical problems, building systems, finding efficiencies. But the most complex challenge I ever encountered was not a structural one. It was social. How do you empower a mother who has never been to school, to ensure her daughter completes hers? How do you build self-reliance in a community that has been told, for generations, that it is not capable?

PSEF was born from that question. Not as an answer — because there is no single answer — but as a commitment to keep asking, keep listening, and keep working alongside the communities of Madhya Pradesh until real, lasting change becomes visible.

“We do not work for communities — we work with them. Real empowerment is not given; it is grown — nurtured through trust, consistency, and respect.”

In five years, I have seen miracles that no government statistic can capture. A young woman in Umaria, who was pulled out of school at age 12, completing her diploma through our bridge programme. A self-help group in Anuppur generating ₹50,000 a month and collectively buying land for the first time. A tribal farmer in Balaghat accessing PM Awas Yojana after years of being turned away, because our volunteers helped him navigate the application process.

These are not our achievements. They are the achievements of the communities themselves. We are merely the bridge — between potential and opportunity, between marginalisation and dignity.

Our work is far from complete. Madhya Pradesh has 52 districts. We have meaningful presence in 35. There are still millions of people — in villages without roads, in communities without clean water, in households where girls still don't go to school — who need what PSEF offers. We will reach them. One district at a time. One family at a time.

To our donors and supporters — every rupee you give is a vote of confidence in the people of Madhya Pradesh. Your generosity keeps our programmes running, our volunteers motivated, and our communities hopeful. With our 80G certification, your donations also qualify for income tax deduction — a small benefit in return for a very large act of generosity.

To our volunteers — you are the soul of this organisation. No budget, no strategy, no registration can replace what you bring: your time, your presence, your care. I am humbled by every one of you.

To the communities we serve — you are not our beneficiaries. You are our teachers, our inspiration, and our purpose. Thank you for trusting us to walk alongside you.

Together, we will build the Madhya Pradesh we all deserve.

Seva · Shakti · Samriddhi