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Stories

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We share stories to move people to act. Explore our stories archive using the filters below, then learn how you can help.

2 High School Students
Anoushy and Noor

Two High School Students Distribute Hope

Yalda Featured Image
Yalda Royan  ·  Afghanistan

Women’s Rights Activist Must Choose to Stay and Die or Leave and Live

Afghan Women Who Stand for Civil Liberties Face Becoming Refugees
Nezia Portrait 2
Nezia  ·  Burundi

Don't Be Afraid and Don't Let Go

Larkpic
Lark Escobar  ·  United States

Veterans Support Afghan Allies When Government Fails

IMG 1728
Amy Underwood  ·  United States

Their Family Became Ours

Josh Mojica
Josh Mojica  ·  United States

Organizing Aid and Filling the Gaps

Julia
Julia  ·  Ukraine

In France, We Were All Greeted Very Warmly and Cordially

Andrea
Andrea Osorio  ·  Colombia

The Struggle for Limited Resources

Marina illustration
Marina  ·  Ukraine

As We Crossed the Border There Were Warm Tents and Food

MYKOLA
Mykola  ·  Ukraine

I Had Only Five Minutes to Say Goodbye to My Family

I don't know how to shoot. I’ve held a gun once in my life and shot two times, which was a long time ago.
PHOTO 2022 03 18 14 29 52
Anna Sehal  ·  Ukraine

We Needed to Act to Save Our Lives

We didn't want to be brave. We just had no choice.
Mariia
Mariia  ·  Ukraine

We Are a Welcoming Community

When a choir becomes a family
Shurooq main picture
Shurooq Safaa Al Jewari  ·  Iraq

Being a Refugee Does Not Make Me Less

My aspirations are to become a surgeon, buy my parents their own house, and sell my art.
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Aline Irafasha  ·  Democratic Republic of the Congo

The Process of a Healing Journey

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Sonam  ·  Tibet

I Have My Right to Dream

681 01 2019 Safi Translator for ESL Class PHOTO SS 5279
Safi  ·  Afghanistan

Hope is Very Big

Screen Shot 2022 01 29 at 3 53 10 PM
Mahsa Ahmadi  ·  Afghanistan

You are Human, You Have to Feel Things

Felipe Silva Work
Felipe Fernando Silva Ramos  ·  Venezuela

They are People that God Placed in my Path

It is not easy to have no family nearby, to start from zero, completely alone.
Carlos 2
Carlos Arturo Albino Reyes  ·  Venezuela

The Voice of My People

I had a meeting with Nicolás Maduro, the president of Venezuela, and he insulted me.
Paul Mwingwa
Paul Mwingwa  ·  Democratic Republic of the Congo

Wherever You Are Put, You Must Grow

It's good to go to an unknown place where I can figure things out.
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101 - 120 of 300 stories
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?

Support Monthly Give Once
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