LabourNet, India

In West Bengal, I worked in agriculture but I was only earning a little bit of money. It wasn’t enough to support me and my wife. I came to Bangalore to find a construction job to make more money because we recently had our first child. Now I can send 10,000 – 15,000 rupees ($156 – $235) home a month to my wife and daughter.

When I came to Bangalore, I lived in one of the labor camps but now I have enough money to rent a house. It’s really difficult to find or build a new home. I am planning on migrating my family to Bangalore, so we can be together. I want to work for a contractor and become a subcontractor by bringing in more labor from West Bengal.

This was my first job in construction so I signed up with LabourNet to learn new techniques and how to use different tools. I didn’t know how to mix the cement or how to use certain tools.

Before LabourNet’s training, I was dependent upon my supervisors or the engineers. I was working as more of a helper. Now I feel like I can work independently.

I have been training with LabourNet for the last three years. I have all this knowledge and now I am becoming a mason. After I complete my next training, I will receive a certificate that will allow me to become a supervisor.

Getting the certificate and getting a new position will give me more respect at work, which is nice. At the end of the day, it all boils down to salary. If you have money, you have everything. You can keep your family happy. The more money I can earn, the more I will be able to send back to my family and the happier I’ll be able to make them. That’s what drives me: my family’s happiness.

Kamal, 25, has been a trainee with Acumen investee, LabourNet, for more than three years.