Bal Asha Trust: 40 Years of Children's Care, Rehabilitation and Adoption (VIDEO)

Around four decades ago, Vira Jamshedji, Jehangir Jamshedji and Shirin Barucha started Bal Asha Trust to support abandoned, destitute children battling difficult circumstances in Mumbai. “The organisation was doing remarkable work for such children by providing care, education and medical support, which was essential, but what particularly inspired me was its focus on rehabilitation,” explains Sunil Kumar Arora, Executive Director, Bal Asha Trust.

“Many organisations provide excellent care for children, but I felt that the crucial question was: what happens after that? How do these children become independent and build a life for themselves? That missing piece — rehabilitation and life beyond institutional care — is what inspired me,” he adds. Arora started volunteering in his teens and joined the organisation when he was just 18.

“The vision is to provide a safe and loving home to a child found in difficult circumstances. Imagine a child abandoned outside a hospital or railway station, or even found in a dustbin — often frightened, medically fragile and in need of immediate care and protection. We want to give every such child a safe space and the care of a family, while working towards their rehabilitation, because a children’s home should not be the child’s final destination. Every child’s rightful place is ultimately within a family, and that is the broader mission we strive towards,” he explains.

While Bal Asha Trust has multiple initiatives, its adoption project is perhaps the one it is best known for. “We believe every child’s first right is to grow up within their biological family. If that is not possible, the child has the right to be placed with a suitable adoptive family through a fair and legal process,” says Arora.

The organisation works to trace the families of children who are found abandoned or separated from their parents, including through Aadhaar biometrics. Only when reunification is not possible, and the stipulated legal process is completed, is a child placed for adoption. Over the last 40 years, Bal Asha Trust has facilitated the legal adoption of more than 1,000 children. In the last year alone, it cared for 165 children, more than 100 of whom were reunited with their families, while 14 were legally adopted.

Alongside this, the organisation focuses on the child’s overall development, including trauma-informed counselling, recognising that many children experience a sense of abandonment and, in some cases, may have faced trauma even before coming to the NGO.

Samyak Chakrabarty, Founder, Workverse & Co-founder, Nimaya Foundation, says, “I have been associated with Bal Asha Trust for nearly eight years and am deeply passionate about adoption. What stands out for me is how the organisation functions as an extended family. Despite their circumstances, the children are surrounded by happiness, joy, nurturing and a strong sense of belonging. That environment helps shape the values, compassion and acceptance they carry into adulthood. For me, that is what makes Bal Asha truly special.”

If you would like to get in touch with the NGO, you can WhatsApp at 9930988899.