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Current Issue: Urge President Biden to Increase Presidential Determination to 62,500 for Fiscal Year 2021

Help Biden keep his promise to increase the number of refugee admissions from 15,000 to 62,500 for FY2021. Visit the Exodus Refugees Advocacy webpage to see details about the Top 3 Ways You Can Take Action.

April 28, 2021

Book Review

Book Review: We're Different, We're the Same

In a Sesame Street simplistic style, We're Different, We're the Same shows how we can have things about us that are different and yet have things in common.

March 31, 2021

Collecting for the Kansas City Congolese Community

As our little Kansas City team and wonderful helpers worked together, we have discovered more love for the incredible refugee families than we could ever have anticipated. And with that, a yearning to tell the stories that brought them to our shared Kansas City home.

March 26, 2021

Book Review

Book Review: Love Around the World, Family and Friendship Across the Globe

Each country's different tradition is a delightful way to show that love can be shown in a variety of ways.

March 5, 2021

A Hunger to Help

"By December 2019 the need in Paris was so overwhelming and had been for a long time. I couldn’t look away. In fact, deep down I felt a call to help." A story of ingenuity, boldness, and partnership helped meet the needs of hungry displaced people in France.

February 24, 2021

Book Review

Book Review: Strictly No Elephants

How does it feel not to be included? Stricly No Elephants empowers children to think about how to make the best of an unpleasant experience to bring about change.

February 17, 2021

A Bridge to English Fluency

How does a refugee move forward in a new country? How do they bridge the gaps they face that are necessary for integration into a new place? Most importantly, how do they learn the language fast enough to get a job and be productive in their communities? One ESL program in Virginia's southeast region targeting mothers and children conducts classes over Zoom, offering both language skills and a sense of community for women who are often more isolated.

February 13, 2021

SPECIAL EDITION: Virginia 2021 General Assembly Legislative Session

In partnership with NoVa Friends of Refugees, we have provided a list of the most relevant proposals for the refugee and immigrant communities, organized by policy category, and encourage our local readers to stay updated and contact your representatives for those issues about which you feel strongly. We have found our elected officials' staff to be easy to talk to and, in our experience, responsive to our emails. The Virginia General Assembly is in session until February 27. Call or write today!

February 10, 2021

Dignifying Receiving

Small heart-shaped balloons purchased by a man who knew first hand the indebtedness the recipients would feel allowed receivers at a Christmas donation event to give something in return.

February 6, 2021

Event

The Story of Our Journey: Phoenix, AZ Showing on Friday, January 22, 2021

The Story of Our Journey recounts the journey of refugees worldwide through personal experiences of individuals interviewed by Their Story is Our Story (TSOS), and was done in collaboration with Dylan Findley, the composer, and Csaba Jevtic-Somlai, the principle clarinet in the project.

January 19, 2021
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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


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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.