READ OUR OFFICIAL STATEMENT ON THE U.S. FY2026 REFUGEE ADMISSIONS CAP AND PRIORITIZATION
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Blog

In The NewsPodcast

Resettled: A Human Journey

TSOS was honored to be a guest on the ECDC African Community Center DC Metro's podcast "Resettlement: A Human Journey" to discuss the role of storytelling in the resettlement process. You can listen to the 45-minute Episode 2 on the ECDC ACC-DC Resettlement: A Human Journey website or by searching for their podcast Podbean.

November 13, 2019

Refugee Perspective

Mini-documentary of Leonard Bagalwa's refugee story - "This is My Story"

Mini-documentary of Leonard Bagalwa's story of seeking refugee. His journey from being kidnapped in the Congo to finding a safe place to integrate and contribute to his new community in Utah.

August 28, 2019

Helping With All My Heart

Cristobal and Martha are a power couple, dedicating so much of their time and energy to helping anyone who needs a little extra help. The words and actions behind the work that we witnessed from Martha and Cristobal are absolutely reflected in the name of their Church and non-profit organization - Helping With All My Heart.

July 18, 2019

Perspective and Proximity: the Curtailment of Pride

I have so many questions: how do we decide who deserves refuge and who doesn’t? Have we ever needed refuge, or even imagined what circumstances would send us thousands of miles by foot to beg for refuge? But it comes down to one: “who would I give shelter to?”... I lie awake at night wondering what I can possibly say to help people understand what I’ve come to know for myself.

July 18, 2019

Event

Our First University Chapter at BYU and Debut Event

Six weeks almost to the day from when we were officially recognized as an on-campus organization, we held our first event as the newly-formed pilot chapter of TSOS.

July 10, 2019

Cheering Louder

Everyone can do something to drown out hate with love. We can all go to the places where newcomers are settling in our own communities and cheer louder.

July 1, 2019

Event

One Journey Festival 2019

In concert with World Refugee Day celebrations, One Journey Festival, whose mission is to amplify refugee voices and enhance public awareness of refugee talents and contributions, hosted its 2nd annual event at the National Cathedral at the end of June drawing more than 5,000 participants. TSOS was there along with 200+ businesses and refugee support organizations for the day-long festival featured music, dance, storytelling, soccer, a take action tent, virtual reality, speakers, refugee-owned food trucks, a robust marketplace, unity parade, and more.

June 29, 2019

Call to Action

Direct Help for Asylum Seekers coming from Detention Centers

Are you feeling helpless and wish you knew who and how to help? While in Arizona, we met and interviewed many organizations that are on the ground, in the trenches, meeting the immediate and urgent needs of those coming directly from ICE detention centers.

June 25, 2019

Refugee Food Festival

Food is a universal way of communicating who we are, where we've come from, and what we have to offer those around us. There are few things more central and foundational to our human connectedness than through the act of breaking bread together.

June 24, 2019

Volunteer Perspective

2019 World Refugee Day Celebrations, Washington D.C.

On June 20, 2019 representatives from our TSOS-D.C. team celebrated World Refugee Day at the Sunset Run for Refugees, walking the 2-mile route from George Washington University to Lincoln Memorial.

June 20, 2019
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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

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?

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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.