For Barsha Sharma, it was the ‘contagious’ enthusiasm of ACCA’s members that attracted her to the role of head of member engagement in India and later it also became the driving force behind ACCA’s financial literacy programme, a trailblazing initiative co-created by Barsha and ACCA’s members in India to help underprivileged children learn about finance. 

As head of member engagement at ACCA, Barsha works with members and those on their way to membership to support their career growth and provide them with opportunities to network across the ACCA community. ‘Members are at the core of everything we do - they’re an energetic, fun and inspiring bunch who are always looking to give back and support our future members. Their passion and enthusiasm are contagious – it’s why every day is exciting and why I love my job!’ 

Keen to broaden her horizons from an early age, Barsha left her native Nepal for university in India to study mass communication and journalism. She then held different roles in communications, engagement and marketing, working in Delhi, Hyderabad, Gurgaon and Bangalore, where she currently lives with her husband, young son and their dog, Golu.

Opportunity knocks

With the 2020 launch of India’s New Education Policy highlighting financial literacy as essential, and the pandemic giving many ACCA members time and motivation to give back, the moment was right to act.

'Our members in India are an energetic, fun and inspiring bunch.' Within a year, we had launched our pilot programme. We started small and virtually but received such positive feedback from the teachers and parents that we kept going, piloting it in five more schools in Chennai.

Strengthening our impact

In 2023, we extended the programme to underprivileged children in rural areas through a partnership with a non-governmental organisation (NGO), whose network enabled us to extend the programme to another 12 schools.

In July and August 2024, we ran a community outreach programme in two rural villages to connect with parents, many of whom were street vendors or rickshaw drivers and had never even stepped into a bank. Around 600 people attended and our members’ commitment shone through: they wrote three short plays on managing finances, performed on stage by the children. The performances broke down barriers and sparked a flood of questions from parents, opening the door to real engagement.

As a result, we signed an agreement with a government body in India to work together on improving financial literacy and investor education through the ACCA Financial Literacy Programme.

Having fun with finance

Our programme is all about making finance fun, something I wish I’d experienced before. It’s incredible to see children grasp complex concepts and enjoy themselves at the same time. Storytelling plays a big part and we use two mascots, a girl named Fefy, and a robot called Mani, whose conversations guide the children’s learning. 

We’re also piloting the programme to children with special needs, including those on the autism spectrum.

Intrepid explorer

When I'm not working, I love taking road trips with my family and exploring new locations. We all enjoy being with nature, away from the cities and trying the local cuisine. Beach holidays are my favourite – we have many pristine beaches in India so a lot to choose from.