Stories & testimonies

Because Mohammad was in a difficult situation in Syria, he decided to flee to Italy via Lebanon. He had been studying interior architecture for 3.5 years in Syria but, unfortunately, couldn't complete the program. From a difficult and unsafe situation in Syria, Mohammad fled via Lebanon to Italy, where he completed two master's degrees in interior and graphic design.

The 24-year-old Farah knows very well what she wants: to work in architecture. She came to the Netherlands from Syria with her family at the age of 21. She started studying architecture in Syria, but was unable to finish it because of the war.

He is sure that Rouel wants to work in ICT. He has almost completed the MBO4 ICT course. He does the first 3 years of the course on Bonaire, and he follows the rest at Techniek College Rotterdam. With 2 exams to go, Rouel comes to DUO for a JOB.

The Iranian Hadis comes to the Netherlands with a clear goal: to contribute to society and build her own future in IT. In her home country, she grows up with the example of her mother, a lawyer who encourages her daughter to be independent and dream big. “I was raised to make something of my life. That's why I'm here.”

Kagan hears about DUO for a JOB for the first time through his contact person at the municipality. In 2021, he traveled after his father who had previously fled from Turkey to the Netherlands. The then 21-year-old Kagan did not get the chance to finish his Architecture course in Turkey, so he must make a new plan in the Netherlands. He would love to finish his education here so that he can find a good job afterwards. But how do you go about that?

When Ukrainian Yulia and her mentor Ivo met through the DUO program, they immediately clicked.

Ali graduated as a petroleum engineer from the Universiti Teknologi Petronas in Malaysia. After 3 years, Ali migrates to the Netherlands, where he hopes to find work in his sector soon. That quickly turns out to be disappointing. He is looking for someone to help him get started and comes to DUO for a JOB for help.

28-year-old Samer comes to the Netherlands with a goal: to work in the port of Rotterdam. But where do you start in a country you don't know?

Frans & Muhannad had a difficult start. Even before the first encounter, Muhannad suffered a serious football injury, which meant he was unable to leave home. This meant that this DUO mainly met digitally.

This musical DUO got off to a flying start, resulting in a dream job after just 3 months!

Rian & Selamawit had an immediate click from their first encounter. And what a lot they've experienced in their time together!

With an MBA in Human Resources and a number of years of experience in the field, Purva comes to DUO for a JOB. Despite her diploma and experience, finding a job in the Netherlands is difficult.

End of a duo, beginning of a friendship! In 6 months, Noor and Juhayna have become more than a duo.

So many great ideas and many more interesting options. Where do you start when you have to make a choice in a completely new job market?

Abed Alrahman, like 3,000 other mentees, is a refugee. After receiving his accounting degree, he was unable to stay in his home country of Syria. Via Lebanon, Sudan and Turkey, he ended up in the Netherlands.

When Shreya moved to Rotterdam, she was eager to start her career in the Netherlands. In her home country of India, 25-year-old Shreya obtained a masters degree in Doctoral Pharmacy, but in the Netherlands, this diploma was not valued as a master.

When Mohammed Aleryani came to live in Rotterdam, he was ready to build a new future. Mohammed Aleryani graduated as a mechatronics engineer, but his real passion is programming.

Sharda and Nandini's duo journey wasn't just laughing, screaming, roaring. Something the two ladies were only too happy to do together, but they certainly also worked very hard.

Amani joined DUO for a JOB with a clear goal: to get an education that matches her skills and interests. Together with her mentor Lieke, she is enthusiastically going to work on her future plan.

Getesmani fled Ethiopia with a Bachelor in Architectural Design and Urban Planning. In her home country, the young architect had already started a glorious career: she worked as an architect for 2.5 years, taught at the university for 4 years and started her own architecture firm at the same time.

The story of Ella & Süheyl is a duo fairy tale with a happy ending. In Turkey, Süheyl completed a bachelor's degree in advertising. With his diploma and all his work experience in advertising, Süheyl will move from Turkey to the Netherlands in 2022. Here he submits application after application, but he only gets rejections.

Rabeh came to DUO for a JOB with a clear mission: to become a women's hairdresser 💇 He already started his education in his home country of Syria, but he was unable to complete it due to the war. Once in the Netherlands, he is determined to keep pursuing this dream.

A bachelor in urban planning, a master in urban management & development and more than 4 years of work experience as an urban planner. With such an impressive resume, you might think it's easy to find a job. Unfortunately, nothing could be further from the truth for 28-year-old Samim.

At the age of 13, Syrian Kathafi flees to Turkey. He earns his money making clothes and he also works as a photographer. He prefers to make portraits of people on the street. This is where Kathafi develops his passion for photography.