About

Twila

We began in 2015 as a handful of writers, artists, and humanitarians who wanted to put our talents and skill to work on behalf of refugees.

Since then, Their Story is Our Story (TSOS) has expanded to include additional team members—including refugees and former refugees—across several countries.

Our mission is clear.

We collect and share the experiences of refugees and allies to encourage understanding and empathy, advance public policy supporting refugees, and help individuals and communities welcome people forcibly displaced from their homes due to violence, persecution and other events outside their control.

As the world grapples with unprecedented numbers of displaced people, individual stories are critical, reminding us that each number represents a person with their own identity, experience, and dreams. When we come to know someone’s story, we see our shared humanity and find ways we can be part of the solution.

We are part of a world community. When something happens to one person, their story becomes a part of and affects the whole. We honor each person’s story as a part of our collective community story.

Their Story is Our Story.

We invite you to join us in shifting the conversation, practices, and policies around refugee resettlement because every individual should be afforded the fundamental human rights of safety, shelter, work, and education.

What would you do if you had to leave everything behind?

By the end of 2025, more than 117.8 million people worldwide had been forcibly displaced by war, persecution, or human rights abuses — and 45 million of them are children.

They arrive in refugee camps and countries seeking safety and carrying little: legal papers, if they're lucky. A backpack. A child's hand in theirs.

What they carry that we can't see is heavier: fractured families, homes they'll never return to, professions they loved, friends and relatives they may never see again.

In a climate where immigrant stories are often ignored or twisted, we believe stories are a form of justice. When someone shares what they survived, they reclaim their voice. When we amplify it through film, photography, and advocacy, the world listens. Hearts soften. Policy begins to shift.

Because when a lawmaker sees a person instead of a statistic, and a neighbor understands instead of fears, rebuilding becomes possible.

Your support helps us share these stories where they matter most.

— Kristen Smith Dayley, Executive Director, Their Story is Our Story

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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.