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READ OUR OFFICIAL STATEMENT ON THE DETENTION OF REFUGEES AND ONGOING COMMUNITY VIOLENCE
SHARE YOUR EXPERIENCES WITH DISPLACEMENT, RESETTLEMENT, DEPORTATION, AND ICE #ANONYMOUSAMONGUS
Stories

Connected Communities

Veronika Ma Ket
Veronika Ma Ket  ·  Myanmar

I Want the World to Know Me as Someone Who is a Helper in the Community

Joan Kelley
Joan Kelley  ·  Canada

We Work to Make Kansas City Feel Like Home

Olivia Marshall
Olivia Marshall  ·  United States

I am Part of Something Much Bigger Than Myself

Mehria
Mehria  ·  Afghanistan

Afraid and Alone

A mother is forced to flee Afghanistan
Meredith Kelley
Qadria  ·  Afghanistan

The Uncertainty of That Day Will Haunt Me Forever

Mohammad Yousifi
Mohammad Yousifi  ·  Afghanistan

My Mom is the Reason for Our Safety

Claire Peterson
Claire Peterson  ·  United States

Volunteer Commitment and Community Buy-in is the Key to a Refugee’s Success

“Ask us how to help! We will find a place for you. There are so many things people could do for us.”
Sarah Kolsto1
Sarah Kolsto  ·  United States

Volunteers: The Key to Successful Refugee Integration

“I want volunteers who are going to be advocates for our families and to do this work for their whole lives.”
Lauren Weinhold 1
Lauren Weinhold  ·  United States

Hard Work is Heart Work

Kansas City’s biggest resettlement agency welcomes newcomers with warm homes and hope for integration
DSC07230 Meredith Kelley
Abeer  ·  Iraq

If You Hear People Telling You That You Cannot Do Something, Make Sure You Do It

A refugee from Iraq defies expectations
Shindano1
Shindano Ebengo  ·  Democratic Republic of the Congo

Bonding as Newcomers

We gather together so we don’t lose our culture
Akili1
Akili Issa  ·  Democratic Republic of the Congo

Building Community While Running From War

Htay1
Htay Mo  ·  Myanmar

We Don’t Have to Run Anymore

A family flees from genocide in Myanmar
Hau Lian1
Hau Lian Saang  ·  Myanmar

I Want to Depend on Myself

A refugee from Myanmar works hard to learn English and get educated in the US
Claude1
Claude  ·  Democratic Republic of the Congo

I Will Work with Refugees for the Rest of My Life. They are Such Good People.

Finding joy in helping others by providing transportation, translation, and coaching soccer.
Atifa1
Atifa  ·  Afghanistan

It Was Just Me, One Doctor, Four Midwives, and 50 Babies

An OB/GYN describes her journey from medical professional to refugee, and the help she got along the way.
Louise1
Louise  ·  Democratic Republic of the Congo

From Refugee Camp to Building a Community

A refugee from the DRC builds support for others through community health
Anastasiia1
Anastasiia  ·  Ukraine

English is a Language of Opportunities

A lawyer from Ukraine describes her journey learning English
Main
Mediatrice  ·  Burundi

Cultivating Community and Hope

Twenty Years in Refugee Camps Before Finding Home in Kansas City
Zarmina Lodin
Zarmina Lodin  ·  Afghanistan

My Father Knew the Value of Education, Even Under the Taliban

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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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