Contributors

Tarah Westover

Transcription Manager

My appreciation for diverse cultures and beliefs came as I had the opportunity to live in the Philippines for 18 months. I experienced firsthand the goodness of people everywhere. I am passionate about helping people who live specifically in crisis. This concentrated interest in working with refugee populations developed last year when I traveled to Greece and worked for 3 months with a maternal health organization providing care to Syrian refugees. I came home and got more involved with local refugees in my community. They speak to my heart and I love their resilience, faith and commitment to life. I believe that we all have so much to learn from them.

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.