13-05-2025
Jalna's Balmitras: The Youth Who Safeguard Future Of Migrant Workers' Kids
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The project is the effort of Kinship and Community-Based Care Programme, supported by UNICEF, Jalna District Administration, and local partners
In the drought-prone district of Jalna, where poverty and migration disrupt childhoods, a quiet revolution is taking place. A group of young people, known as Balmitras (friends of children), are stepping up to protect the most vulnerable. These youth volunteers, aged 18 to 29, ensure that children left behind when their parents migrate for work are not left alone, unsupported, or unsafe. Drawn from the same communities they serve, Balmitras offer more than just care — they offer stability, learning and emotional support.
At the heart of this effort is the Kinship and Community-Based Care Programme, supported by UNICEF, the Jalna District Administration of the Government of Maharashtra, and local partners SACRED (Society for Action in Creative Education and Development) and Swaraj Gramin Vikas Pratishthan.
Jalna, in central Marathwada, is one of the worst-affected regions in the state when it comes to agrarian distress. Droughts, poor irrigation, and repeated crop failures have led to chronic poverty, pushing families, especially those from Scheduled Castes and Tribes, into seasonal migration. Parents move to sugarcane farms, brick kilns or construction sites in search of work, often taking their children along. These children face unsafe living conditions, disrupted schooling, and a lack of healthcare and nutrition, while some are forced into child labour or early marriage. Those who remain behind with relatives or older siblings also face emotional neglect and limited access to basic services.
Enter the Balmitras. Their primary task is to raise awareness about the dangers of unsafe migration and promote the option of kinship care, where children stay back in villages under the care of grandparents, relatives, or trusted neighbours. Through individual and group counselling with parents, they help families choose this safer alternative. The Balmitras also run vibrant after-school programmes three times a week, offering a mix of academic support, games, life skills and psychosocial care for children of the migrant workers. These sessions provide children with a safe and nurturing space to grow, learn, and express themselves.
'WHEN A GIRL REFUSES CHILD MARRIAGE…'
Balmitra Bhimrao Tambe is a 30-year-old youth from Jalna district. His dedication to this cause over the last two years has earned him the title of Master Balmitra—a mentor role where he now trains and appoints new Balmitras across villages. He takes pride in seeing the real change. 'When a girl refuses child marriage and chooses to continue her education, it feels like I've done something truly meaningful," he said with a smile. Today, he and his fellow youth volunteers are being felicitated by the Jalna Collector for their contribution to child education and protection.
Currently, the Jalna district has 649 Balmitras working across six blocks and the results are remarkable. Since 2014, the percentage of children staying back in family-based care during migration seasons has grown steadily, reaching 60.23% in 258 pilot villages. In 2024–25 alone, over 5,800 children stayed back in kinship care. Most were cared for by grandparents, others by extended family or trusted community members. A small number lived independently with siblings in child-headed households.
This community-based care model is yielding significant outcomes like low school dropout rates, continued access to nutrition and health services, a significant reduction in child labour, early marriage, and teen pregnancies. Inspired by its success, the model has now been scaled up to 198 more villages, with leadership from the Jalna District Collector and the State Migration Committee of the Department of Women and Child Development.
NOT FOR MONEY, THEY WORK WITH PURPOSE
Balmitras receive no monetary compensation for their work, but what they gain in skills, confidence and purpose is invaluable. 'The training they receive—on child rights, communication, community mobilisation—helps shape their personalities and future careers. Some of our former Balmitras have even gone on to become Sarpanch, leading their villages," Ravi Kelgaonkar of SACRED said.
Bhausaheb Gunjal from Gramin Vikas Pratishthan agreed. 'Balmitras play a big role in preventing child marriage. They engage with young girls and their parents, convincing them to delay marriage and support education. We've seen many girls who once resisted early marriage now excelling academically and winning awards in school," he added.
For thousands of children in migration-affected communities, the Balmitra initiative is more than a support system. It ensures continuity in education, safeguards their mental health, and helps them grow up in a more secure environment. It is a model that is not just working—it is thriving and becoming a blueprint for other districts across Maharashtra.
Alpa Vora, Child Protection Specialist at UNICEF Maharashtra, said, 'In Jalna, thousands of children are forced to migrate with their families due to drought and poverty. They miss school, live in unsafe conditions, and lose access to basic services. The Balmitra initiative is changing this. Trained youth volunteers now help children stay in their villages, attend school, access health services, and participate in after school and mental wellbeing activities. This model is not just protecting children—it is transforming futures."
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First Published:
May 13, 2025, 19:46 IST
