In the context of areas that have little prospect in the medium term of providing even minimal livelihoods locally for their overwhelming poor and increasingly migration-dependent rural populations, what does education for sustainable development (ESD) mean? Do efforts to qualitatively improve migration offer a viable strategy for reducing poverty and fostering sustainable development in the source areas? What skills and knowledge enhancement can concurrently improve the livelihoods of migration-dependent households? This paper examines these questions through a narrative on the formative years of the Aajeevika Bureau, an innovative programme dedicated to the improvement in livelihood opportunities for poor, migrant labourers of Rajasthan, India. (Contains 1 table, 1 image, and 2 notes.)