Written by Melissa Dalton-Bradford
This is how nonprofits work: You show up and lean on the strongest woman around. Meet that woman, Trisha Leimer, President of Their Story is Our Story. Our scrappy band of seven founding members (including @lizthayerart, @lindsaysilsby, @garrettgibbons, Twila Bird and Morgan Gibbons) conducted and documented dozens of hours of interviews with refugees in Greece and Germany over the summer, and those pieces are now being translated thanks to many of you volunteers.
Trisha and I are on the ground here in central Germany facilitating connections between refugees and locals, teaching German, and discovering on a daily basis stories among our refugee friends that we plan to bring to you.
Our artists are painting, editing photos, weaving together video footage, posting and reposting and putting all of this on our brand new TSOS website. Then there's the whole technical and legal backstage labor involved....it's huge, and it's happening.
This pic was taken by Ali, our Afghan friend whose resilience and good humor keeps us smiling.
USAHello.org and Welcome.US: Two Helpful Online Tools for our Refugee Friends and U.S. Locals who are Welcoming them
Resettling into a new country can be more challenging when you don't know where to turn for help. USAHello.org makes information and resources available to those who have newly arrived in the United States. Welcome.US matches resettlement agencies' in-kind needs with businesses and community leaders who want to help.
A Personal Look at Resettlement Statistics
U.S. Operation Allies Welcome Webinars: DHS Briefing & How You Can Help
As of 31 December 2021, more than 52,000 Afghan evacuees have been resettled in communities across the country. These resettlement efforts are led by the Department of State in close coordination with more than 290 local resettlement affiliates. The remaining approximately 22,500 vulnerable Afghans await resettlement at 5 military bases in the U.S.
TUNE IN JAN 6 & JAN 19 FOR INFO ON HOW YOU CAN HELP IN YOUR AREA.