Blog → April 24, 2019

Oh you Ocean: Rahim's poem

Hamed walking with his family

My name is Rahim. I am from Afghanistan, in Kabul. I have an MA in international relations and diplomacy from Kabul University. I worked with the US Army as an interpreter. When the American troops left Afghanistan, the lives of all the interpreters were in danger. We were very well known, and many times we were threatened by the Taliban. That’s why I decided to leave Afghanistan.

Oh you Ocean, give us love..
Look what has happened to us..
Do not run the waves against us..
We the refugees, We swear our cause is sad..
Oh, you would not believe, but our tears can drown you so much we cried..
We accepted all people and were kind and loving toward them, but when we fell, everyone betrayed everyone of us..
No one is crying for us..
Oh, today the whole world failed us..
Oh you Ocean, make your waves calm, there are children in this boat which are our memories and our lives are still in this boat..
I swear, our tears could fill all the seas in the world, and all our children’s childhood is gone in your waves and it kills our children, lives and hopes..
Oh you Ocean, let your waves have pity on us and be crying like a mother..
Oh Ocean, let us have peace..
We only want peace and now, we will go to get some peace.

Today Rahim volunteers with Their Story is Our Story to help gather and share the stories of others who have been forced to flee, to reveal the individuals behind the “refugee” label and cultivate meaningful relationships with those seeking refuge locally so that, together, we can help build strong and inclusive communities worldwide.

Read Rahim’s full story.


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Image credit: ©TSOS/Christophe Mortier

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Their Story is Our Story and No One Left Behind (NOLB) joined forces in 2025 to launch the StoryShield program.

We spoke with Matthew Marcellus, Director of Communications with NOLB, and asked what the partnership with TSOS has meant for his organization and their Afghan clients.

August 13, 2026

Context with Layma

Social media presents us with an endless scroll of headlines and ‘hot takes’. What’s often missing is context. What is the history that led up to an event? Whose interests are served by a certain policy? What effects is that policy having on people’s lives? Layma Murtaza produces and hosts the video series “Context with Layma”, featured on Their Story is Our Story’s social media channels. We spoke to her about the context of her own life, as an Afghan-American and a professional in humanitarian aid, that led her to use storytelling to illuminate the personal and political context behind the headlines.

August 13, 2026
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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