Latifa Karim - Manager of Business
Continuity Advisory Teams

Latifa is a very experienced volunteer, having participated in multiple volunteer activities in
parallel for many years – from accompanying an elderly autistic man on a road
trip to various churches in Limburg, to helping young people to apply for jobs.
She has been involved with Get a Grip since 2020.

“In one of my previous jobs, I regularly came into contact with people who had amassed huge mortgage debts due to the crisis,” says Latifa. “Back then, I enjoyed making a real difference for those clients by helping them to regain control of their finances. That inspired me to do more in this direction.”

Eliminating stress

“I know a lot about finance thanks to my work, and I also find it interesting to be involved in it in my spare time. It’s so rewarding to share that knowledge and to help young people to get their finances, and hence their lives, back on track. Financial chaos can cause a lot of stress. For me, it takes just an hour a week to sort things out; for my mentee, that can mean 10 hours of peace of mind.”

Towards a savings plan

“My mentee is a young girl with a long history of problems; financial problems rarely occur in isolation. She was earning quite a good income but living beyond her means. She had no insight into her financial situation, couldn’t think ahead and, for her, spending money was a distraction from the less pleasant aspects of her life. There have been ups and downs, but overall she’s really making progress. We’ve made a plan together and, providing she sticks to it, she will soon be debt-free… and then we can draw up a savings plan for her.”

A buddy, not a mummy

“My role is definitely to be more of a buddy than a counsellor. I don’t solve her problems for her; she has to do that herself. I have daughters who are the same age as the girl I am helping, so I have to be careful not to slip into a mothering role.”

Giving support

“As an extra bonus, I’m learning a lot from this volunteer work, in particular to put myself in other people’s shoes and be less quick to judge. Much of who you are depends on what kind of start you get in life, such as where you are born in terms of your family and country. Some people are simply unlucky. And if my professional connections mean that I can offer support, why shouldn’t I make use of them for someone else’s benefit?”