Our founding team met Faramarz in January 2019. We spoke through a translator, learning of his journey from Afghanistan to Lesvos, and of his difficulties stretching a thin government budget to cover food and his mother’s diabetes medication.

After some basic necessities, his second month’s requests through Duet were a soccer ball, a pair of cleats, and shin guards. He used these to join a local soccer league and make friends across culture and language barriers. Soon after, Duet donors crowdfunded a laptop for Faramarz’s family. At night, Faramarz used the device to learn English by watching Game of Thrones - first with English subtitles and dubbed Farsi, then in English language.

When we next met Faramarz 6 months later, we spoke to him entirely in English. He had leveraged his newfound English skills and network of friends on the island to secure a position as a translator for Médecins Sans Frontières (Doctors Without Borders). Today, Faramarz is able to independently support his family and continues to work as a translator in Germany.