Contributors

Zora Davis

Thought Leadership Researcher Lead

Zora Davis is a graduate student pursuing her Master’s degree in Southeast Asian Cultures and Languages. She was born in Texas and moved with her family to Indiana, where she and her older sister were raised by their mother. After graduating from high school, Zora attended Ivy Tech Community College. While at Ivy Tech, Zora had the opportunity to work with refugees in France, which sparked a deep and abiding interest in helping others in the world. She received her Bachelor’s degree in International Studies from Indiana University, where she had another opportunity to work with refugees this time in Jordan. Zora currently studies and resides in Hamburg, Germany.

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

Support Monthly Give Once

Add Impact
to Your Inbox

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.