Sankar Raman

Leaving a Land of Chaos

Toys are everywhere in the small apartment in Vancouver, Washington. A sheet of paper posted at a child’s eye level shows the first, impressive attempts of a

Sankar Raman

From Survival to Triumph

There are survivalists who stockpile food and weapons against what they see as the coming apocalypse. Then there are survivors, such as Amida Kyanza, born in 

Sankar Raman

A Journey Protected by a Force of Light

In many of Soulayvanh Beisel’s earliest memories, everybody is traveling by boat. She remembers how monsoons would wash through her hometown of Tha Ngon,

Sankar Raman

Painting his way around the world

On a Wednesday afternoon in 2003, Samir Khurshid burned his own painting. The rest of his 480 works were also destroyed that year, he said, in his hometown of Tus, […]

Sankar Raman

Learning to See a Future

“I’m never going to get out of this place,” AyeChan May thought as a young teenager. In Mae Ra Moe refugee camp in Thailand where she grew up, she saw […]

Jim Lommasson

Wedding Party, Kirkuk, Iraq

Samir Khurshid Memory: I carry this photo with me. It is the wedding party of my brother “Noori” when I was in Turkey in 2008 away from my family. I […]

Jim Lommasson

Member of Our Family, Iraq

Zainab Al Qasiri: Tito is a member of our family, I could not leave her behind. I think this story is full of humanity. The hardest time of my lifewas […]

Sankar Raman

Taking the Opportunity to Shine

Jeanette Amisi Mmunga was born Tosha Kitungano, but has decided to answer to a new name — one she chose for herself. Mmunga was born Feb. 19, 2001,

Jim Lommasson

I Haven’t Brought Anything, Iraq

Endrious Esho: “My name is Endrious Esho. I am from Nenwah, Iraq. I haven’t brought anything from my home. We left home because of ISIS attack in our areas. We […]

Jim Lommasson

Friends, Baghdad, Iraq

Sarmad Al Mayyah: Memories of My Friends I Left in Baghdad, Iraq. I laugh every time I see this photo… …and at the same time, I am sad because I […]

Sankar Raman

Dignity in Helping Others

One might not expect someone who has been bullied and shot at to pour all her energy into helping others. But Divine has been defying odds and expectations

Sankar Raman

Hope for a New Generation

Jenny Munezero was two months old the night the soldiers attacked, and the only one left alive in her family’s house. “To this day nobody knows why I wasn’t killed. […]

Sankar Raman

Be a Blade of Grass, Not a Tall Tree

Among a total of 13 siblings, it was Sivheng who most resembled their father. Kilin Ung  was a businessman who traded in the teak and rosewood

Elayna Yussen

Speaking Out: From Poetry to Politics

Don’t let 17-year-old Belise Nishimwe’s petite stature fool you. Measuring in at just 4 feet 9.5 inches tall, she is bursting with confidence, charisma and big ideas

Sankar Raman

Finding His Footing on the Pitch

Wilondja Mashimango spent his childhood on the soccer field. One day on the pitch, he heard someone greet him and turned around to reply. However, what he