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Norina  ·  Iran

Belonging: I Work Hard so I Can Succeed Here

I want my family to stay together here where we can be safe.

Norina, Afghan from Iran
Norina, a refugee from Iran, now living in Germany

Photography by Christophe Mortier

I am sixteen years old. I love clothes, I love my hair, I love shopping. I have just completed my first year in the German school. The German language isn’t easy, but I did well, especially in math and science. I work hard so I can succeed here.

I often have to miss school to translate for my family at doctor’s appointments and to go to the government offices to answer questions and make sure our family does everything right so we can stay here. Even though I am the youngest, I have learned German much faster than my brothers and sister, so this is my responsibility.

We laugh a lot, but I also worry. My mother and I have been told we won’t be deported for now, but my three older brothers received a notice that they would be deported within thirty days. I had to quickly find a lawyer to appeal the German government’s decision for them. Now we pay a lawyer each month, but it is worth it, because if my brothers have to go back, it will be very dangerous for them.

I want my family to stay together here where we can be safe. I want to go to school, to dress how I want, to make decisions for myself. My goal is to study at a university. I like it here. I want to stay.

Informed Consent

Our team members obtain informed consent from each individual before an interview takes place. Individuals dictate where their stories may be shared and what personal information they wish to keep private. In situations where the individual is at risk and/or wishes to remain anonymous, alias names are used and other identifying information is removed from interviews immediately after they are received by TSOS. We have also committed not to use refugee images or stories for fundraising purposes without explicit permission. Our top priority is to protect and honor the wishes of our interview subjects.

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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