Meet the volunteer - Vivian

How have you been involved with CAFOD?

I'm a parish volunteer at Saint Thomas Aquinas and All Saints Parish in Bletchley. That is in the Northampton Diocese.

Why have you decided to volunteer with CAFOD?

I have decided to volunteer for CAFOD because I have a strong belief in social justice and standing in solidarity with the poor. And I believe that the world is big enough for everyone to live in dignity.

I decided to volunteer for CAFOD because of CAFOD's mission, which goes along with Catholic teachings, resonates with my personal values and the way I grew up. So I'm excited to share my values with everyone through volunteering with CAFOD.

What is your role and what does it involve?

With Fast day coming up, I'm going to be giving talks in our parish, and I'm very excited. I'm excited about these talks because they give me an opportunity to engage face to face with parishioners and get them to understand the meaning of fast day. I also get to encourage everyone to join CAFOD and become a volunteer in CAFOD.

I will also get to encourage everyone to reflect on what they have so that they can also give to the poor. They can understand that there are other people in the world who do not have as much as they do. So I'm excited about Fast Day because it's going to encourage everyone to see the world from a different perspective and encourage everyone to give to the best to give the best that they can.

Do you get the support you need?

I get all the support that I need when I volunteer for CAFOD. There are so many people that you can talk to. There are people who have helped me get into the voluntary position. I'm in All Saints Parish. I work with the lovely Maggie, she is always there to answer my questions. She's always there to guide me and give me the right direction. She's also always there to give me support when I have to give a talk during mass, and so everything has been free flow so far.

And I have Debbie, Deborah Purfield. She has been wonderful. She is responsible for the volunteers in our diocese, and she has been super helpful. She's been there to answer all questions, to give directions, and obviously to remind us on the importance of volunteering in CAFOD and doing what we love doing. And she's been a source of encouragement at times when I thought I was feeling overwhelmed, and she has kind of made me realize that this is doable.

What message would you give to people who say they are very busy and have no time to volunteer?

The few words that I would give to people who think they are very busy and do not have time to volunteer for CAFOD is go for it!

The good thing about volunteering for CAFOD is you do it to the best of your ability. There is no pressure. All we need is for you to come and give it your all. So please go for it if you have that calling answer to it.

I am a mum, I am a wife, and I take care of two little boys who are both in school. I'm not saying I have it all together I work full time, I might not have it all together, but I do the best that I can do. And I have felt comfortable volunteering for CAFOD. I haven't felt the pressure, and I'm happy to continue following volunteering for CAFOD.

So if you'd like to volunteer and you're a very busy person, it's not going to affect your day to day life. You'll still carry on with your life, and you will still get time to do what you love doing, which is helping other people.