Komal’s childhood was spent amidst heaps of waste. Barefoot, she walked the dusty streets of Bangla Colony, scavenging through the Bhagtanwala dump for scraps of paper. She was no older than eight. Perhaps younger. 

At 38, Komal still carries the weight of those years. A single mother of two, she remembers the pain of abandonment when her husband left. “I’m not educated. I never went to school,” she says, her voice steady. “If I lacked courage as a woman, I had to be brave as a mother.” 

For women waste pickers like Komal, survival is a battle. They do over 80% of the sorting and collection in India’s waste economy. Yet, their work is largely invisible. Men, who transport the waste, earn nearly double. “We sort faster and work harder,” Komal explains. “Still, we’re paid less.” 

Her journey, however, is one of courage. When the pandemic hit in 2020, her income—just Rs 250 ($3) a day—wasn’t enough. Komal made a bold choice. She used her savings to buy a weighing scale for her small shop, a step toward independence. Around the same time, she found support through the Utthaan Project, an initiative by UNDP in collaboration with government and private sector partners. 

The program provided Komal what she had been hoping for: access.

Through Utthaan, she received health benefits, financial training, and food security support. With their guidance, she secured a bank loan and opened a plastic waste shop. Komal also formed a self-help group with other women, training them in composting to diversify their incomes. 

“It’s a little easier now,” she says. Her shop provides a steady income, and the solidarity among her group is a source of strength. Her daughter, watching her determination, recently told her, “Mummy, you’ve strived so much, I don’t know if I could work as hard as you.” Komal smiles at the memory. 

But her message remains clear: “I keep encouraging women to work. We have to. We must.” 

Komal’s story shows what happens #WhenWomenHaveAccess. Access to resources. Access to dignity. Access to opportunity. Her transformation, supported by the Utthaan Project, is a beacon of hope for other women waste workers—and beyond. 

Her voice, steady and proud, speaks to the campaign’s heart. “We women are stronger than we think,” she says. And when women have access, that strength changes the world.