Kajal Kumari's involvement in Bal Manch gave her opportunities to lead, learn and discuss decisions affecting her life. Her account shows how a village youth forum can connect young people with life-skills education and a supportive community.
A young leader in Palmo
At the time of the case study, Kajal was 20 and had completed Class 12. She lived in Palmo, near Tisri, and had served for more than two years as president of a Bal Manch formed under the Community Empowerment Project-2.
Her mother worked as a village Sahiya and her father as a carpenter. The family had previously depended on mica collection before moving towards other sources of income. Limited and uncertain earnings remained a concern for the household.
Practising life skills
SPS organised life-skills sessions for children and young people from village Bal Manch groups. Kajal joined a session in Khijuri covering education and life planning, decision-making, career guidance, behaviour, child rights and social awareness.
The sessions encouraged participants to connect these ideas with their own circumstances. Kajal said she took the lessons seriously and applied them in her personal life.
Her experience beyond the training
The case study recounts a difficult period after Kajal's elder sister died, leaving a newborn child. Following discussions within the family and with Kajal present, she chose to marry her brother-in-law. In a later conversation, Kajal linked her approach to this decision with the knowledge she had gained during the training.
This was Kajal's individual account and personal choice, not a course of action prescribed by the programme. Her story reached SPS through Bal Manch members and a project volunteer.
SPS valued the young people's willingness to share their experiences and reflected on ways to recognise their participation in future community events. The wider purpose of Bal Manch remains creating spaces where young people can develop confidence, discuss their rights and have a voice in decisions that affect them.