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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

Resource Insecurity

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.
Hania, West Africa
Haniah - West Africa  ·  Ghana

Arrival: Law

"He left me with two babies and went to Libya ... I wemt to Libya, but I didn't find him."
Amina no watermark
Amina  ·  Syria

Leaving Aleppo

Amina is one of countless indomitable refugee mothers in the world
Samira
Iraq

Using Personal Experiences to Help Refugee Women

Women of the World
Mathudo
A West African Country

This is What They Did to Me

The people of Europe, they that think that we just came here to look for money. No!
Christine Dolan, Paris, France
Christine Dolan  ·  United Kingdom

I Was Called the Sock Ambassador

There are many desperate people…
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?”
Asad, Afghanistan
Asad  ·  Afghanistan

Belonging: You Are Safe

​You have to have faith and trust in humanity.
Rhenald, Nigeria
Rhenald  ·  Libya

Belonging: My Dream is to Help People Make Life Better

Everyone has his own road and his own destiny.
Nabi
Afghanistan

The Taliban Slaughtered Gay Men like Animals

It was hard to be gay in my country. You can’t live as a [free] man.
Felix, Nigeria
Nigeria

In Libya Life is No Good

The first day I came to Italy, I had a friend, an Italian friend.
Sanaz, Syria
Sanaz  ·  Syria

The Journey: We Awoke to Find Planes Bombing Above Us

Our life was very good. We were very comfortable and happy.
Rahim, an Afghan currently living in Switzerland
Rahim  ·  Afghanistan

I Fought to Keep My Hope

It gives me a bad feeling … that I am safe and my friends are still in trouble.
Rasheeda, Afghanistan
Iran

I Brought my Koran and Prayer Rug with Me

We left Iran because we are Afghans.
Kalil, Afghanistan
Afghanistan

I Am a Civil Engineer; I Am Good at My Job

I hope I can find a good life and that I can continue in my profession.
Firoz
Syria

They Kept Killing — They Killed so Many

ISIS began invading our village on the first day of the revolution.
African Refugees
Libya

They Survived Libya

The journey is very, very risky. Many people died — a lot.
Hania, West Africa
A West African Country

“God Knows Who I Am; He will Help Me”

God knows what I am, so He will help me.
Layla
Layla  ·  Ethiopia

Belonging: I Want to Have Something of My Own

I want to be able to say, “This is MY house! We can stay forever here and nobody will tell me to go.”
Odije Moses
Odije  ·  A West African Country

Why We Flee: “Water, Water, Water!”

My family looks to me to support them.
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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

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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