Contributors

Madeline Minardi

Photographer

Madeline is creative artist from the San Francisco Bay Area. From a very young age, she began documenting culture through lenses of cameras, poetry and prose, and sketches and paintings of her hometown. Passionate about authentic storytelling, Madeline is a full time travel photographer, capturing love and life stories around the globe. Her greatest hope is that the art she creates helps bridge the gaps of humanity, helping people realize that our differences are what makes us stronger, together.

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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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