Iraq

SAKINA

Sakina’s favorite thing about being in America is that it is safe and she gets to go to school.

Written by Heather Esposito
Sakina
Sakina
Sakina

Story & Photography by Heather Esposito

Meet Sakina. She is 6 years old and in first grade. This is her first time ever getting to attend school and she LOVES it!  She is a big sister to Mahommad and little sister to Tiba.

She is the shy one when strangers are around but just wait until she gets to know you.  Then she’s a firecracker!  Abas, our interpreter, kept teasing her because she was being so quiet. Usually she talks non-stop.

Like most middle children, she seems to kind of blend in and then pop, there she is!  She is so sweet and eager to please her parents.

Sakina’s favorite thing about being in America is that it is safe and she gets to go to school.  She loves playing and making friends. She is super excited because she has made three friends in her class even though she speaks very little English. She loves her teacher and playing with her friends. One of her favorite things to do at home is to help cook, especially if cookies or cake are on the menu.

Sakina with flowers
Sakina helping in the kitchen
Sakina helping in the kitchen
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

Add Impact to Your Inbox
Sign up for our emails to get inspiring stories and updates delivered straight to you.
Subscribe
© 2026 Their Story is Our Story Privacy Policy
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.