READ OUR OFFICIAL STATEMENT ON THE U.S. FY2026 REFUGEE ADMISSIONS CAP AND PRIORITIZATION
SHARE YOUR EXPERIENCES WITH DISPLACEMENT, RESETTLEMENT, DEPORTATION, AND ICE #ANONYMOUSAMONGUS
February 15, 2022

Introducing Rhenald Idubor as new Italy Community Program Coordinator

Rhenald with extended family

Their Story is Our Story is delighted to have Rhenald Idubor working in the role of Community Programs Coordinator in Italy. Rhenald’s own first-hand refugee experiences lend tremendous insight and strength to this work of changing perceptions through stories and welcome through action. We invite you to get to know Rhenald a little better.

My name is Idubor Rhenald, born September 15, 1992 in Benin city, Edo state, Nigeria. After my parents’ daily activities at their restaurants, immediately my mother arrived home that evening and that is when and where she gave birth to me. Just my mother and father were in the house. That’s how my earth journey started. My late Father Mr. Idubor Edwin Aboudefe, born May 5th 1956. Died 2021. Married to Abiuodu Helen Igbinaduwa born 25th of December, 1966, my precious mother.
I have been in Rome, Italy since October 1, 2015 and now I work as a full-time gardener at the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints Temple in Rome. Life has been teaching me so much in different aspects, but for me striving to be conscious of my choices and embrace consequences of responsibility. I have been able to create balance in everything that comes my way. It has kept me going, not my power but just by the grace. I have been far away from my parents and siblings, they are in Nigeria, Africa. I have two brothers and two sisters, I am the second to the last but have responsibilities that embrace me as if I am an African family’s first child. But I am grateful for every situation I am experiencing in life.

Rhenald with niece

I am a creative in putting things together, doing sculpture, playing with children, I like good music and enjoy dancing. I also enjoy cooking, balancing spices in food to give a great flavour and taste. I like traveling and learning more about my own and others’ cultures and traditions as I respect everyone with their own understanding. I love creativity as I am attracted to it. Every thing influences me in creative work in the spiritual aspect and the physical aspect. My spiritual frequency colour is green or lemon green. It helps me to connect easily and flow. I love plants, nature, animals and I always love to be inclusive to work with humanity in coexistence with the limited time I have on earth.

Rhenald with horse
Other Posts

Is She Still a Refugee?

"The title refugee, is a badge of honor like prisoner of war or Holocaust survivor. It says something about a person’s life experience and personal strength to survive..."

January 9, 2021
What would you do if you had to leave everything behind?

By the end of 2024, more than 123.2 million people worldwide had been forcibly displaced from their homes due to war, persecution, or human rights abuses.

An increase of 7.2 million over 2023, that’s more than 19,619 people every day — roughly one person every 4.4 seconds.

They arrive in refugee camps and other countries, like the US, seeking the one thing they’ve lost: safety.

Fleeing political imprisonment, ethnic violence, religious persecution, gang threats, or war crimes, they come with what little they managed to carry:

Legal papers – if they’re lucky.

A single backpack.

Sometimes a child’s hand in theirs.

They also carry the weight of what they left behind: fractured families, homes they’ll never return to, professions they loved, friends and relatives they may never see again.

They carry loss most of us can’t imagine – but also the truth of what they’ve endured.

At TSOS, we believe stories are a form of justice. When someone shares their experience of forced displacement, they reclaim their voice. And when we amplify that voice – through film, photography, writing, and advocacy – the world listens. Hearts soften. Communities open. Policy begins to shift.

That shift matters. Because when neighbors understand instead of fear…

when lawmakers see people, not politics…

when a teacher knows what her student has survived…

Rebuilding life from the ashes becomes possible.

We’re fighting an uphill battle. In today’s political climate, refugee stories are often twisted or ignored. They’re reduced to statistics, portrayed as national threats, or used to score political points.

The truth – the human, nuanced truth – gets lost, and when it does, we lose compassion.

We are here to share their truth anyway.

At TSOS, we don’t answer to headlines or algorithms. We are guided by a simple conviction: every person deserves to be seen, heard, and welcomed.

Our work is powered by the people we meet — refugees and asylum seekers rebuilding after loss, allies offering sanctuary, and communities daring to extend belonging.

Your support helps us share their stories — and ensure they’re heard where they matter most.

“What ultimately persuaded the judge wasn’t a legal argument. It was her story.”

— Kristen Smith Dayley, Executive Director, TSOS

Will you help us keep telling the truth?

No donation is too small — and it only takes a minute of your time.

Why give monthly?

We value every gift, but recurring contributions allow us to plan ahead and invest more deeply in:

  • New refugee storytelling and advocacy projects
  • Resources to train and equip forcibly displaced people to share their own stories
  • Public education that challenges fear with empathy
  • Local efforts that help communities welcome and integrate newcomers

As our thank-you, monthly supporters receive fewer fundraising messages — and more stories of the impact they’re making possible.

You don’t have to be displaced to stand with those who are.

Can you give today — and help carry these stories forward?

Add Impact to Your Inbox
Sign up for our emails to get inspiring stories and updates delivered straight to you.
Subscribe
© 2025 Their Story is Our Story Privacy Policy
Their Story is Our Story is a 501(c)3 Non-Profit Organization under the United States Internal Revenue Code. All donations are tax-deductible. Our tax identification number is 812983626.