Zahra becomes MRCVS four years after fleeing Afghanistan

A young woman who escaped from Afghanistan in fear for her life is celebrating after discovering she has just passed her RCVS entrance exam.

Almost four years of struggle came to an end last week when Zahra Mohammedi received the news she can now add the letters MRCVS to her name and join the ranks of the UK veterinary profession.

It is a remarkable end to a remarkable story that began when Zahra reached out to Vet Times in November 2021 from Kabul, where she had been in hiding for many months following the Taliban’s takeover of her country.

As a vet working at the University of Kabul, the then 26 year old Hazara muslim – an ethnic group persecuted by the Taliban – found herself being hunted down during a purge of female professionals in which one of her female colleagues at the university disappeared.

Dramatic escape

However, after Vet Times broke the story, our readers responded by assisting with a dramatic escape from Afghanistan, finding her family sanctuary and ultimately helping Zahra start a new life as a vet in the UK.

Speaking exclusively to Vet Times on the day she received her letter from the RCVS, she said: “I still cannot believe it, and I do not have the words to thank all the people who have helped me get here – they have not only given me a new life, but saved my life and the lives of my mum and dad and my brother.

“The end of this long journey feels like a victory for me over the terrorist group who now run my country.

“My journey has been hard, and passing my RCVS entrance exam has also been hard, but I needed to prove myself and I was determined to do it, not just for myself, but for all the people who had faith in me and all the Afghanistani women who have not been as lucky as I have.”

Gambian sanctuary

After escaping from Afghanistan to Pakistan, Zahra spent several weeks in Islamabad with her family, where she was in constant contact with her supporters in the UK before Heather Armstrong, co-founder of The Gambia Horse and Donkey Trust, reached out to offer sanctuary.

Through the charity, Mrs Armstrong was able to secure a visa and funds for an air ticket to The Gambia, where Zahra worked and studied while her supporters fought to secure the final stage of her passage to a new life, free of fear.

During this period, she worked while studying for the International English Language Testing System exam needed to secure her visa to the UK, a bid sponsored by VetPartners following the personal intervention of chief executive Jo Malone.

Arrival in UK

And in December 2022, Zahra finally arrived at Aireworth Vets in Keighley near Bradford, where she was “welcomed like family” and given a job as an animal care assistant as well as the support she needed to prepare for her RCVS entrance exams.

But even with this support, Zahra said it has not always easy to forget the past and focus on her future.

She admitted: “It has been very tough at times, and although I am so grateful to so many people, I have struggled.

“I have had nightmares and negative thoughts, and have needed counselling here to deal with what happened to me, my family and my country.”

At one point, the doubts almost overcame Zahra, but after a visit to see her family, who have since also been given visas and are now living safely in The Gambia, she pressed on and last week received the news she had been dreaming of since arriving in the UK.

Exam success

The RCVS has now followed up on the exam success by confirming her name has now been added to the register – ending a four-year quest to become Dr Zahra Mohammedi, MRCVS.

She said: “I just want to say thank you to everyone; Heather Armstrong, James at Vet Times, Graham Duncanson, Jo Malone and Susan Rhind at The University of Edinburgh for her help preparing me for the exam, and of course VetPartners and Aireworth Vets, especially Carla Balnave, Gill Tansey and Abigeal Tighgeal, who has been like a sister to me. Thank you all from the bottom of my heart.”

Speaking of her pride in Zahra, Mrs Armstrong paid a glowing tribute to her hard work and resilience.

She said: “Zahra has been through many trials and tribulations, and it hasn’t been easy for her having to worry about the safety of her family, as well as absorbing a new culture and studying hard.

“I am also deeply grateful to everyone who has done so much since Vet Times broke the story.

“They say, ‘it takes a village’, and that is certainly the case with Zahra. She is a very special and lovely person, and she deserves a successful and happy career ahead.”