Dubai Student Saranya Gupta Launches “Jagriti by Sara” to Empower Rural Women Through Skills and Employment

Dubai, UAE / Samastipur, Bihar, India — August 2026: A young student from Dubai is transforming a carefully researched idea into a sustainable livelihood programme for women and girls living in economically disadvantaged communities in rural Bihar.

Saranya Gupta, a Year 11 student at Arcadia British School, Dubai, has launched “Jagriti by Sara,” a community-based garment training and production initiative in collaboration with KCS Foundation India. The project has been established in Singhiya Block of Samastipur District, Bihar, and aims to equip underprivileged women and girls with professional garment-making skills, create local employment opportunities and help them become financially self-dependent.

The journey of Jagriti by Sara began in June 2025, when Saranya contacted KCS Foundation with a detailed proposal explaining her vision, research, implementation plan and anticipated social impact. She requested the Foundation’s support to implement the initiative on the ground in Bihar.

Following the proposal, Saranya and members of KCS Foundation spent nearly three to four months developing, refining and testing the idea before beginning its physical execution. During this planning period, they studied local needs, identified potential beneficiaries, assessed infrastructure requirements, selected appropriate industrial machinery and created a practical training and production model.

Saranya also conducted extensive research into the social and economic conditions of Singhiya Block and the surrounding areas of Samastipur District. She found that many women and girls had limited access to vocational training, employment and independent sources of income, despite being willing to learn and support their families.

An important discovery emerged from Saranya’s discussions with representatives of nearby private schools. Several school officials explained that they were purchasing ready-made school uniforms from Delhi, nearly 1,800 kilometres away, because there was no suitable garment production facility available locally.

This gap inspired Saranya to create a sustainable social-enterprise model. Rather than providing training alone, Jagriti by Sara would eventually manufacture school uniforms locally, create employment for trained women and reduce schools’ dependence on distant suppliers.

Using funds raised for the initiative, Saranya established a small garment training and production centre equipped with industrial sewing, overlocking, cutting, finishing and other essential garment-making machines. With the support of KCS Foundation, a local implementation team was formed and an experienced trainer was appointed.

Currently, 40 women and girls from Singhiya Block and nearby communities are undergoing training in industrial stitching, fabric cutting, measurements, machine operation, garment finishing, quality control and workplace discipline. The programme is designed to prepare them for commercial production and long-term employment.

Simultaneously, Saranya has started contacting officials from neighbouring schools, introducing them to the project and requesting opportunities to fulfil their upcoming summer and winter school-uniform requirements. By building a potential customer base while the women complete their training, Saranya hopes to ensure that employment opportunities are available immediately after the training phase.

The centre plans to begin actual garment production within the next two months. Once the production model becomes stable and financially sustainable, Saranya’s long-term vision is to expand Jagriti by Sara into other districts of Bihar, creating additional training centres and employment opportunities for more women and girls.

In June 2026, Saranya travelled from Dubai to Singhiya Block in Samastipur District of Bihar,India to personally review the progress of the project, interact with the trainees and understand the challenges faced by the local team. Even after returning to Dubai, she continues to connect online with the trainees and project coordinators every weekend to collect feedback, monitor progress and guide future activities.

“Saranya approached KCS Foundation India  with a well-researched proposal and a clear understanding of the needs of the community. We worked together for several months to transform her idea into a practical, scalable and sustainable project,” said Dr. Pankaj Jha, Founder of KCS Foundation India.

He added, “Jagriti by Sara is not merely a sewing-training programme. It connects professional skills with genuine market demand. By securing orders from nearby schools, the project can generate regular employment and enable women to earn with confidence, independence and dignity.”

One of the trainees said, “Before joining this programme, I had no opportunity to receive professional training or earn independently. Today, I am learning to operate industrial machines and make garments. I believe this skill will help me support my family and create a better future for myself.”

Through Jagriti by Sara, Saranya is demonstrating how youth-led ideas, supported by strong community partnerships and careful planning, can create lasting social change. Her vision is to build a network of locally operated garment centres where women are not treated merely as beneficiaries, but recognised as skilled professionals, earners and independent decision-makers.

Learn More About The People Behind The Initiative

Readers interested in the work of KCS Foundation India and its community initiatives can learn more about the organization and its focus on empowering women and girls through its official website. kcsf.in

Those who would like to follow Dr. Pankaj Jha and learn more about his community and education initiatives can connect with him through Facebook, X, LinkedIn, and Instagram.

Through Jagriti by Sara and its partnership with KCS Foundation India, the initiative continues to demonstrate how education, practical skills, local opportunity, and committed community leadership can work together to create pathways toward greater independence.