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UEL student says 'volunteering through the University of East London changed my life'

Friday 24 February 2012

Soleha Khawar

As a student of the University of East London, Soleha Khawar has turned her life around and she puts this down to voluntary opportunities that arose through UEL’s Students’ Union volunteering programme.

After sharing her passions and interests with Shahida Aslam, volunteer coordinator at UELSU, Soleha was able to pinpoint exactly what she wanted to do and was advised to attend an Aanchal Women’s Aid conference, where she heard dreadful stories from women who had been abused. Aanchal is a charity that offers help and support to Asian women who have been subjected to domestic abuse.

Being interested in the empowerment and support of women she decided that she wanted to make a difference to those who she heard from. This led to Soleha volunteering for Aanchal Womens Aid, where she was enrolled to work on the 24 hour emergency helpline.

Following the volunteering that Soleha participated in, she is now employed by Aanchal, working as an Independent Domestic Violence Advisor.

Soleha said: “Where I am today I feel very blessed; I have a job that I love, a job where I am making a difference and a job where no day is the same and every day I learn something new.”

Shahida Aslam, Volunteers & Community Engagement Coordinator for UEL’s Students’ Union, said: “I am extremely pleased with Soleha’s development as her volunteering journey has meant she has developed many skills such as leadership and organisations skills.  Her dedication to follow through has meant that she has nurtured her own career path along with employment with a local organisation. It’s great to be able to celebrate her success and we wish her well with her future”.

Notes to Editors

The University of East London (UEL) is a global learning community with over 28,000 students from over 120 countries world-wide. Our vision is to achieve recognition, both nationally and internationally, as a successful and inclusive regional university proud of its diversity, committed to new modes of learning which focus on students and enhance their employability, and renowned for our contribution to social, cultural and economic development, especially through our research and scholarship. We have a strong track-record in widening participation and working with industry.

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