Their Story Is Our Story (TSOS) is witnessing with alarm and concern the news and images from Afghanistan in recent days. We have developed a deep respect for our Afghan friends in the past 5 years as we have sat knee to knee and eye to eye with them and listened to their stories. We have been honored to share their accounts of survival, as they have fled death and violence, leaving family and possessions behind to seek peace and freedom elsewhere. Their stories are examples of strength, resilience and gratitude.
Now, as the militaries of western nations retreat, all Afghan citizens — those actively engaged in an effort to reform their country and those who do not support Taliban regime — find themselves and their families in grave danger. The future they have worked so long and hard for, and risk so much for, is vanishing before their eyes.
As fellow world citizens, now is time for action. We have a narrow window of opportunity to assist these brave men, women and children, as they embark on hard journey to safety. Here are a few ways you can support them:
Contact your elected representatives and urge them to act swiftly to remove those at risk from harm’s way and offer them a new home in a safe nation.
Find refugee resettlement agencies in your area who will soon be resettling Afghan refugees and volunteer your time and means to assist in their safe arrival and integration.
Listen to refugees and amplify their voices in your communities, media outlets, and in the halls of power by sharing their stories.
Their Story is Our Story stands with those suffering in Afghanistan. As we witness the clogged airport runways in Kabul we seek to clear the runways in our own communities and welcome our Afghan brothers and sisters as our new neighbors and friends.
Helping ITPs Succeed: Insights from Leading Support Programs
Partner Profile: No One Left Behind
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.
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.