Kanniyamma

Kanniyamma is a 46-year-old woman from Bengaluru, living in Gowtham Colony in Mahalakshmi Layout with her husband and five children. She has studied up to 8th standard and has carried a long history of balancing low paid work with high family responsibilities in an urban settlement.

Before joining Naari Circuit, she worked as a domestic help, putting in around three hours of work per day and earning about Rs. 5,000 per month, which was not enough to comfortably support a family of seven.

Her earlier job as domestic help came with several difficulties: low and often insufficient income, health issues like blood pressure, and limited respect or recognition for her labour. The work also meant she had little control over
her time and always worked “under someone,” which restricted her ability to grow or improve her family’s
economic situation.

Kanniyamma came to know about Naari Circuit through trainers and mobilizers who connected with women in her area and explained the model of women-owned scrap collection and sorting units. She chose to join because she felt that working for herself rather than under an employer would allow her to support her family better and build something more stable.

Her family had some concerns at first, but they ultimately supported her decision, recognizing the potential for increased income and a stronger role for her in the household’s financial planning. Current role, workday, and income.

Today, in Naari Circuit, Kanniyamma works as a Partner–President, taking responsibility not only for day-to-day tasks but also for leadership and decision-making within the centre. She now works around six hours a day, which provides more consistent engagement and a clearer work structure compared to her earlier scattered domestic work.

Instead of a small fixed salary, she earns a 50 percent share of the profit on the materials procured and processed, which gives her higher earning potential and a direct stake in the success of the enterprise. Through this role she has developed into an “all-rounder,” gaining skills across operations, money management, communication, and
problem-solving in the centre.

Since joining Naari Circuit, there has been a visible shift in Kanniyamma’s life in terms of money, confidence, and social respect at home and in the community. She now feels happy and confident and speaks of a sense of achievement from being able to contribute more meaningfully to her family’s needs through her own initiative. Her role in family decisions has strengthened, as her earnings and leadership position give her greater say in
planning expenses, children’s education, and future investments for a better lifestyle.

Looking ahead, Kanniyamma’s main goal is to ensure a better lifestyle for her family and children, using her role in Naari Circuit to build more stable and dignified livelihoods over the next few years. She values the support, training, and handholding she has received from Naari Circuit, which helped her transition from domestic help to enterprise co-owner.

She still looks forward to continued guidance and enabling support—both from Naari Circuit and from government schemes—so that the Mahalakshmi Layout centre can grow stronger and provide sustained work
and income for women like her.

In describing her journey, Kanniyamma often returns to the simple but powerful shift from “working under someone” to working for herself as a Partner–President. Earlier, her work as domestic help was easily overlooked, but now community members recognise her as someone who runs a formal, organised waste collection unit and contributes to both family income and environmental cleanliness.

Through Naari Circuit, she has moved from a low-paid, low-control job to a leadership role, showing how women’s collective enterprises can transform everyday struggles into opportunity and self-respect