Turn Up the Volume

Their Story is Our Story is in the middle of our Turn Up the Volume campaign. We’ve been working together for a year and half to gather and share refugee stories. In order to spread the stories the way they need to be spread, we need to turn up the volume. That means more donations, more engagement, and more sharing.

The refugee crisis is the current manifestation of an ongoing, and growing, human problem. By and large, refugees are ordinary people whose lives have been uprooted by conflict, famine, corruption, and war. I have met refugees whose pre-displacement lives were full and successful. They provided for their families, pursued worthy goals, and contributed to their communities. Once it became clear that they could not continue where they were they undertook harrowing journeys, relying on smugglers who took any money they could scrape together. Many have passed through scenes of trauma and death. Now they find themselves in foreign lands, trying desperately to jump through labyrinthine asylum processes. All so they can establish themselves and rebuild their lives. They want safety, dignity, and opportunities to prove themselves.

In addition to the many challenges I’ve detailed above, many refugees face growing prejudice and suspicion. If this defensive attitude becomes pervasive in the western democracies that are currently bearing the brunt of the refugee crisis, governments will shut their doors and refugees will continue to live on the margins, being exposed to those who threaten and exploit them. This is where Their Story is Our Story comes in. As a team, we want nothing more than to help people who do not know refugees personally come to understand and empathize with them. We want to introduce them to people who come from different lands, but hope for the same things we all do. By donating to Their Story is Our Story and sharing the stories we produce on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and YouTube you can help us Turn Up the Volume. I hope you will.