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Contributors

Jessica Mshama

Board Member, Board Member

My name is Jessica Mshama, and I am an entrepreneur and youth ambassador from Tanzania. I founded Assumpter Digital Schools and the NGO "Nakua Na Taifa Langu" with a deep passion for empowering women and youth through digital skills, job opportunities, and financial education. My mission is to raise a generation that can bring positive impacts to society by utilizing digital skills. Being listed as Forbes 30 under 30 Africa was a great honor, and it has further inspired me to continue empowering women and youth in my community and country. The cause I champion is deeply personal to me. Growing up in Tanzania, I witnessed firsthand the gender disparities and the lack of opportunities that hindered the potential of women and youth in my community. These experiences inspired me to become an activist and dedicate myself to creating positive change and providing opportunities for others. Despite my passion and dedication, I have encountered numerous challenges along the way. I have faced resistance from traditional mindsets and societal norms that have hindered the progress of my initiatives.

Additionally, as a young entrepreneur and activist, I have had to navigate the complexities of building and sustaining impactful projects in a resource-constrained environment. However, these challenges have only fueled my determination to continue my mission of empowering women and youth. My aspiration to empower others comes from a deeply personal place, and I remain committed to making a lasting impact in my community and country.

Jessica Mshama
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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