We’re celebrating Volunteers’ Week 2024 with a new story to mark each day. Vanisha Pursun is the first volunteer with her story.
Tell me about volunteering for the IFoA
I started volunteering for the IFoA four years back, as part of the buddy system. I wasn't expecting that so many people face the same challenges that I faced- that was for me an eye opener. I think what makes the buddy system work so well is that people see that in spite of these challenges, you can still do it.
At the end of last year, I joined DAG and I started attending meetings at the beginning of this year. You realise that there's still a very long way to go to reach that diversity balance that we want to achieve and there's a lot of work still to be done.
What advice do you have for new volunteers?
It's a fantastic experience being part of that bigger global body who seem very unreachable from where we're sitting, especially when you're outside the UK. But when you start interacting with your fellow members, you realise that we all in the same boat. We all face the same sort of issues and volunteering is an opportunity to be part of that wider community.
Vanisha is a qualified actuary based in Mauritius. She works in insurance and pensions.
From the lesser-known benefits to the impact you can have as a volunteer, delve into more stories in the series. We are publishing each day of Volunteers’ Week 2024.
