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READ OUR OFFICIAL STATEMENT ON THE U.S. FY2026 REFUGEE ADMISSIONS CAP AND PRIORITIZATION
SHARE YOUR EXPERIENCES WITH DISPLACEMENT, RESETTLEMENT, DEPORTATION, AND ICE #ANONYMOUSAMONGUS
Stories

Women

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

Holding Onsm
Omaya  ·  Afghanistan

Everyone was Desperate

What it Took to Get Out of Afghanistan Alive
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Nagita  ·  Afghanistan

My Story, My Dreams

When Kabul fell, I felt like I was drowning, unable to breathe or understand.
Sana Kawoon
Sana Kawoon  ·  Afghanistan

Every Girl Needs Education in Every Country

Teenagers from Afghanistan advocate for education for those who were left behind.
Elwaad Samatar
Elwaad Samatar  ·  United States

Advocacy through Storytelling

A college student uses her voice to fight for others
Martha
Martha  ·  Myanmar

A Burmese Woman Remembers Her Past and Finds Her Future in Farming

New Roots, A Farming Program for Refugees, Provides Job Security and Flexibility for a Burmese Woman
Len
Len  ·  Myanmar

A Woman From Myanmar Stands on Her Own Two Feet Through Farming

New Roots Provides Flexibility and Freedom for Myanmar Mothers
Rubi Hernandez
Rubi Hernandez  ·  Mexico

A Young Single Mom Fights “With the Power in Her Heart” to Make a Life for Her Kids

This Country is for Growth, Not for Staying in One Spot
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Baby Shower Mentor

A Refugee Baby Shower saves a baby's life.

It’s First Aid for Moms
Uzma Jafri
Carla Miller and Uzma Jafri

A Muslim Doctor and British Immigrant Orchestrate a Bi-Annual Baby Shower for Refugees

You Can Help
Doctors coat
Mursal  ·  Afghanistan

The Taliban Came and Gave Me a Warning, But I Did Not Stop

A trained dermatologist from Afghanistan struggles to find a way to practice in the United States as a refugee.
Handsinlap
Yasmin  ·  Iraq

Finding and Helping Others through The Collateral Repair Project

Hosaiand Zahra
Zahra Rahimi and Hosai Rasuli  ·  Afghanistan

Desperate: Teenage Filmmakers Tell the Story of Women in Afghanistan

"We can change the world, because every word has meaning."
A refugee woman arrives at a train station
Cristina Mazariego  ·  Guatemala

A Single Mom’s Journey to Freedom

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Jahan Ara Rafi  ·  Afghanistan

When Raising Her Voice Didn’t Work, Refugee Woman Turns to Art

Alexandra Acosta
Alexandra Acosta  ·  Venezuela

A Young Venezuelan Mother Makes Art and a Better Life

Mahsa GMU graduation 1
Mahsa Ahmadi  ·  Afghanistan

An Afghan Refugee with the Courage and Wisdom to be Herself and Follow Her Dreams

Alla Mashkey
Alla Mashkey  ·  Ukraine

I’m in a Strange Country with Strange People

A Ukrainian grandmother tells her story of escaping Kharkiv at the start of the Russian invasion
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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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Their Story is Our Story is a 501(c)3 Non-Profit Organization under the United States Internal Revenue Code. All donations are tax-deductible. Our tax identification number is 812983626.