Mahidhara Davangere South Asia Scholarship Fund

Many in our community were deeply shaken when Mahidhara Davangere passed away in May 2021, aged just 39.

Mahidhara was one of the most active volunteers in the global profession. He was the first Indian member to be elected to the Council of the Institute and Faculty of Actuaries and championed the IFoA’s work in wider fields, particularly data science and banking. He also volunteered generously with the Institute of Actuaries of India and the International Actuarial Association.

Through these and other connections, many IFoA members came to know Mahidhara, warming to his incredible energy and positivity. We join with Mahidhara's family, his colleagues and his friends in mourning his passing.

As an enduring tribute to Mahidhara, the IFoA Foundation is creating the Mahidhara Davangere South Asia Scholarship Fund, an initiative to support the most promising actuarial students in South Asia who need financial assistance to continue their education. The Foundation developed this concept with input from Mahidhara himself, so it seems fitting that it will now bear his name.

Alongside the launch of this new fund, the Foundation is generating support to reach its vision to open every door for the next generation of actuaries and to empower the profession to be transformative in addressing the greatest global challenges of our time. Against a target of £55,000 and with the generosity of our community, we can increase our charitable impact in South Asia with projects such as:

1. The Mahidhara Scholarship programme with funding for the next three years;
2. Educational hardship grants for young actuaries in South Asia who are financially disadvantaged, and;
3. Grants to local partner organisations in India that can deliver grassroots educational programmes that will engage the next generation of actuaries.

The Mahidhara Davangere Scholarship Fund aims to support student actuaries across South Asia. The Fund's entry point to the region is initially through universities in India where the Foundation has existing relationships. From year two we aim to expand to the wider South Asia region as we become more established, forging new relationships and partnerships that will enable us to support more students from across the region.

We have already received generous contributions from our valued supporters, with a major gift from Bhargaw Buddhdev, FIA (Founding Patron) who was also involved in discussions around the development of the South Asia Scholarship Fund. Bhargaw is passionate about supporting young actuaries in India. We are seeking a further £30,000 from the actuarial community, and the first £10,000 will be matched by the IFoA Foundation to double the impact of donations gratefully received.

Find out more about the IFoA Foundation Mahidhara Appeal by viewing our leaflet.

Show your support

You can show your support in the following ways:

• Make a one-off donation
• Arrange a direct payment by contacting the Foundation via gmfoundation@actuaries.org.uk (suitable for international payments using IBAN or SWIFT codes)

If you have any questions about the Foundation’s work and how you can get involved or would like to request additional support to arrange a donation, please get in touch: gmfoundation@actuaries.org.uk.

On behalf of all those who will benefit, and in celebration of our dear friend and colleague Mahidhara, thank you for your generosity and support.

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