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Stories

Iran

DEPORTATION WOMAN LOOKING OUT WINDOW
Norina - Afghan from Iran  ·  Iran

I Just Want to Be Free

I had no rights, no freedom to choose my path.
MENTAL HEALTH EDREES
Edress - Afghan from Iran  ·  Iran

Arrival: Mental Health

"Refugees experience all kinds of trauma prior to, during, and after their journeys to safety..."
WHAT WE CARRY Rasheeda
Rasheeda  ·  Iran

The Journey: What We Carry

I pray most of all for my children who are still in Afghanistan and Iran.
ARRIVAL SUPER STORY PORTRAIT REFUGEE WOMAN TRAIN
Saheba - AFghan from Iran  ·  Iran

Arrival

"I only want to be treated like a human being. I just want to be free and to live in peace and safety..."
Shekib, Afghan from Iran
Shekib - Afghan from iran  ·  Iran

Arrival: The Government Has Rejected My Asylum Request

If they send me back to Afghanistan or any other country, what will I do?
Saheba, Afghan from Iran
Iran

I Only Want to be Treated Like a Human Being

I just want to be free and to live in peace and safety.
Norina, Afghan from Iran
Norina  ·  Iran

Belonging: I Work Hard so I Can Succeed Here

I want my family to stay together here where we can be safe.
Rasheeda, Afghanistan
Iran

I Brought my Koran and Prayer Rug with Me

We left Iran because we are Afghans.
Nasira
Iran

For the Safety of Our Children

Wife, mother of three. Now a refugee seeking a better future for her family.
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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