a day ago
Aspiring dentist who fled Taliban builds new life in Glasgow
Shakiba Azim, who left her home country four years ago, is now working towards her dream career by volunteering at NHS Golden Jubilee.
She said: "When I came here, I realised I finally had the freedom and the right to follow my dream."
'Back in Afghanistan, I was offered a place at university to study dentistry, but it was too far from home and, as a girl without a male relative, I wasn't allowed to go."
"Volunteering at NHS Golden Jubilee has been my way of starting again and working towards that goal.'
In 2021, Shakiba was working as a journalist.
This placed her family at significant risk when the Taliban came back to power.
They fled the country for Pakistan before applying for a humanitarian visa to the UK, eventually settling in Glasgow.
She said: "I lost everything overnight.
"Because of my job, my family and I were at risk.
"We escaped to Pakistan and applied for a visa.
"After two years, we arrived in the UK."
"I remember Googling it and being nervous about the Scottish accent, but when we got here, we found the people so kind and helpful.
"I fell in love with Scotland."
Shakiba is now building a new future in the country she calls home, where she lives with her mother and younger sister.
Her sister is also an outpatient support volunteer in the radiology department at NHS Golden Jubilee.
Both are completing English language courses to help them begin their next step into higher education.
In a few weeks, they will move on to new science-based courses at college.
Shakiba said: "We're working hard to build our future.
'Volunteering has been a great experience.
"Everyone has been so supportive and kind.
"I'm so grateful to be part of this team.
"Volunteering here has helped me develop skills, build my confidence, and understand how healthcare works in Scotland.
"It's also shown me how much I enjoy helping people.'
"This country gave me a second chance.
"I want to stay here and give something back.'
As part of Volunteer Week 2025, NHS Golden Jubilee is recognising the contributions of its volunteers.
The NHS board, which has 50 volunteers in various patient care support roles, has signed Volunteers Scotland Volunteer Charter.
It is committed to being a Volunteer Charter Champion to recognise and celebrate the dedication of its volunteers.
NHS Golden Jubilee has signed the Volunteers in Scotland Volunteer Charter to commit to celebrating its volunteers (Image: NHS Golden Jubilee) Maureen Franks, volunteer manager, said: "Volunteers like Shakiba are at the heart of our volunteering community.
"Her story is inspiring, showing the power of resilience, and we are proud to support her journey and are lucky to have her as part of Team Jubilee.
Tosh Lynch, head of Spiritual Care and Volunteer Services, said: 'As an organisation, we understand that our volunteers support us to enhance the patient and visitor experience through a variety of services such as Pastoral Care and Patient Peer Support.
'By providing quality, safe, effective, and person-centred care our volunteers play an important role in enhancing the hospital experience for every patient or visitor and in shaping future services.'
More information on how to become a volunteer at NHS Golden Jubilee can be found on the hospital's website.
