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

Connected Communities

OUR LIVES BEFORE Leonard Bagalwa
Leonard  ·  Democratic Republic of the Congo

Our Lives Before: Born a Survivor

Forced to be a rebel then a spy, Leonard was protected by the pygmies
Julie Anderson, Frankfurt, Germany
United States

She Established a Library for Refugees

I’m thankful to be a small part of this.
Christine Dolan, Paris, France
Christine Dolan  ·  United Kingdom

I Was Called the Sock Ambassador

There are many desperate people…
Brown Family
United States

Bikes for Refugees

“We’re your friends, so let’s break down the walls”
Kayra Martinez, Greece

The Art Creates Support for Families and Children

When I dropped off my first carload … I asked, “May I stay and help?”
Omar, Afghanistan
Afghanistan

My Father Was a Member of the Taliban

Because I am almost fourteen and the oldest son, I am responsible for our family.
“A Message to the World,” Oil on linen by Elizabeth Benson Thayer
Afghanistan

Children Show Us What Humanity Means

Their future is uncertain, and their past is gone forever.
Diana Levaton, Paris
United States

On the Right Side of History

I organized parents; Ben organized students and faculty.
Ben Levaton, Paris
United States
Sophia Borletti, Paris
Italy

Hatred Can Be Turned Into Love

I graduate in June. I’m not going to leave working with refugees behind.
Fatima Dzhafarova, Paris
Russia

They Looked Different from Us

“I decided then and there I wanted to become involved in helping refugees.”
Avery Alley, Paris
United States

They Could Easily Become My Friends

… we were interacting with the refugees on a one-to-one basis
Samadi and Sabroo
Iraq

"We Always Kept One Bullet for Suicide"

In order to save our family, we were obliged to leave our country.
Mohaned & Zainab
Iraq

MOHANED AND ZAINAB (1/3)

We only want to live in peace and safety.
Paris Ground Support Interview
United Kingdom

Tolerance Doesn't Help Much

It’s the situation that is the horrible… thing. It’s not the people in it.
Kayra
United States

KAYRA

Art to help refugees
Goat Project
An East African Country

East African Refugee Goat Project of Utah

This video highlights some of the ways the goats are helping the three communities transition from their old lives in Africa to their new ones in America.
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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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