Why We Chose This Project

Empathy Enhancement

Humanity is diverse and complicated, but we all have the same basic needs and rights. We all deserve to have clean water and food. We all deserve to feel loved, have our families, and belong. We all deserve to live our lives to the fullest. We deserve safety and happiness. We deserve our humanity. We all deserve to be heard and seen. Our team wanted to help communicate these needs and rights to a wider community. We wanted to provide a place to share stories that give a voice, face, name, and life - full of hopes, fears and dreams - to refugees. Afterall, on this little blue orb floating in space, we only have each other and we need to be in it together, being a voice for others when they can no longer speak.

Global Crisis

There is an unprecedented crisis across the globe of refugees. These people have fled their countries due to war, economic collapse, violence and persecution. Upwards of 65 to 70 million people have fled their countries - the most since World War II - and many are struggling to find safety when they have left their homes.

Understanding

Refugees come from all walks of life and many different countries. Refugeeism can happen to anyone, anywhere. There are many misconceptions about refugees, most recently regarding asylum seekers on the USA’s southern border. The Refugee Stories team wanted to provide a better understanding of refugees as individuals. One way in which we hoped to accomplish this is by focusing on personal stories, instead of the bird’s-eye-view of most media coverage. Understanding and empathy go hand-in-hand. When we have empathy for someone, we can be open to understanding, acceptance, and support.

Support and Action

Our team is dedicated to providing a place for writers to share untold stories of the lives of refugees. We want to move our readers to take action and support the people and places they read about on our site. We have provided links to reputable donation sites and a list of volunteer opportunities local to you on our “Contribute” navigation tab. Ultimately, it is up to all of us to look out into the world, see injustice, pain, and suffering, and take action to help.