These days, it’s easy to watch the news and get depressed. War, natural disasters, and human rights abuses abound every time you turn on the TV, and its easy to just tune out all of the suffering going on around you, head to an air-conditioned office and surround yourself with comfortingly well-dressed people whose biggest problem is having too much money and not enough time to spend it.

But still, there is that nagging feeling. “Maybe I could be doing more to get involved in my community, or use my skills to help people.” When you are so busy at work, it’s hard to identify the steps necessary to get involved with a cause you believe in. But doing so can help you add meaning to your life, gain valuable experience in a sector other than the one you work in, and develop a sense of much needed perspective in the world of finance.

One of the causes I have been involved with over the years is the trafficking of women and girls for sexual exploitation and forced labor. When I lived and worked in Nepal, I helped design anti-trafficking programs for women and girls at risk of sexual exploitation, and implemented rehabilitation and reintegration programs for trafficked girls who had been rescued. Though I have been back in the US for five years, I have tried to stay involved in this cause by attending events, volunteering for pro bono projects, joining fundraising committees and keeping in touch with activists.

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