At the age of 13, Syrian Kathafi flees to Turkey. He earns his money making clothes and also works as a photographer. He prefers taking portraits of people on the street. This is where Kathafi develops his passion for photography. After 7 years in Turkey, Kathafi eventually ends up in the Netherlands. Here he has one goal: to earn his money with photography. But how do you tackle that in a country you don’t know? Kathafi needs someone to help him outline his plan. We match him with mentor Peter. Together they start exploring the possibilities. The duo talks a lot, visits Open Days and explores other options as well. In addition to their weekly conversations, Kathafi receives assignments from Peter to learn about his strengths and strengthen his network. Through Peter’s network, Kathafi is soon able to spend a few days as a trainee at a film company. Here he gains experience as a cameraman.
Kathafi finds out that studying takes too long for him, so he decides, in consultation with Peter, to start as a self-employed worker. Together they make a plan. The first assignments come in and Kathafi quits his side job in a restaurant. With full focus on photo and video, Kathafi can now really pursue his dream. He is very happy with the help he has had from Peter: “Before I came to DUO for a JOB, I didn’t know what to do. With Peter, I discovered this. I found out what I need to improve about myself, what I still need to learn, and how to deal with clients. I got more structure and a clearer plan.”