In this episode of Across Archives, host Desmond Asakitikpi speaks with Riziki Kalibanya, Founder and Executive Director of Women Stand Up and Care and Director of RIZIAGRAPHY.

Riziki discusses building a photography and storytelling business in Kakuma Refugee Camp while facing gender barriers, entrepreneurship, community leadership, and single motherhood. She also explains how ethical storytelling can protect dignity, challenge stigma, and connect refugee women’s experiences with advocacy and practical support.

Key Topics

• Building RIZIAGRAPHY in Kakuma• Leading Women Stand Up and Care• Gender barriers in photography• Refugee entrepreneurship and single motherhood• Consent, dignity, and trust in storytelling• Women’s leadership and economic empowerment

Resources and LinksFacebook:https://www.facebook.com/celine.kalibanya

IsraAID Videos:https://www.youtube.com/@israaidvideosThe Refugee Archive: https://therefugeearchive.org

About Across ArchivesAcross Archives is produced by The Refugee Archive. It highlights archives, oral histories, and storytelling projects that preserve the experiences of migrants, immigrants, internally displaced people, and refugees worldwide.

Together with our companion series, The Archive Speaks, we explore how archives can amplify refugee voices, build solidarity, and reshape how displacement is remembered.

🎧 Continue the journey on The Archive Speaks, featuring the real voices of displaced women and single mothers around the world.

In this episode of Across Archives, host Desmond Asakitikpi speaks with Weanne Estrada-Magbanua, Mental Health Specialist at ADRA International, about the psychological realities of displacement that statistics and intake forms often fail to capture.

Weanne discusses identity loss, prolonged uncertainty, the pressure to appear grateful, and why mental health must be treated as an essential part of humanitarian response—not something addressed only after immediate needs are met.

Key Topics

* Why mental health is essential during humanitarian emergencies

* How trauma affects memory, planning, and decision-making

* Identity loss after displacement and resettlement

* The emotional burden of waiting for legal status

* What standard intake forms fail to capture

* The pressure displaced people may feel to appear grateful

* Burnout and powerlessness among humanitarian workers

* Turning empathy and curiosity into meaningful action

Resources and LinksWise Women Unfiltered: The Unfiltered LetterInstagram: @shahartalksYouTube: Shahar Talks | Wise Women UnfilteredFacebook: @shahartalksTikTok: @shahartalksThe Refugee Archive:

https://therefugeearchive.org

About Across ArchivesAcross Archives is produced by The Refugee Archive. It highlights archives, oral histories, and storytelling projects that preserve the experiences of migrants, immigrants, internally displaced people, and refugees worldwide.

Together with our companion series, The Archive Speaks, we explore how archives can amplify refugee voices, build solidarity, and reshape how displacement is remembered.

🎧 Continue the journey on The Archive Speaks, featuring the real voices of displaced women and single mothers around the world.

In this episode of Across Archives, host Desmond Asakitikpi sits down with Shahar Boyayan, founder of Wise Women Unfiltered, a platform centered on identity, visibility, and the stories women carry after decades of being useful to everyone around them.

Born in Brazil, Shahar migrated to the United States more than two decades ago, an experience that reshaped her life and became the foundation of her work on reinvention and voice reclamation. In this conversation, she explores how storytelling functions as a personal archive, why invisibility affects midlife women, and what it takes to find your voice again after spending years living for everyone else.

Shahar speaks candidly about the experience of being overlooked, dismissed, and talked over—and why age does not erase knowledge, intelligence, or the ability to learn. She shares practical steps for reclaiming presence, from small acts of courage to recording personal stories. Her message is clear: “You matter, and you do not have to accept invisibility.”

Key Topics

* Migration, loss, and reinvention as lived experience

* Storytelling as a way people learn, remember, and connect across generations

* Personal archives and the everyday stories that carry lineage and memory

* The invisibility of midlife and aging women in society

* Finding your voice again after decades in caregiving and service roles

* Small acts of courage as pathways to presence and visibility

* The politics of visibility and why resistance comes when women reclaim space

Resources and LinksWise Women Unfiltered: The Unfiltered LetterInstagram: @shahartalksYouTube: Shahar Talks | Wise Women UnfilteredFacebook: @shahartalksTikTok: @shahartalksThe Refugee Archive:

https://therefugeearchive.org

About Across ArchivesAcross Archives brings together archivists, storytellers, researchers, artists, and memory workers to explore how personal and collective histories are preserved, shared, and carried forward.

In this episode of Across Archives, host Kristi sits down with Max Saakyan, the creator of Uncovering Roots. Max’s work focuses on the intersection of audio documentary and historical preservation, specifically centering on narratives that have been sidelined by mainstream discourse.

The conversation dives deep into the mechanics of memory, the ethics of handling trauma in storytelling, and the specific challenges of reconstructing history when official archives are sparse.

Inside the Episode

Max shares the origin story of Uncovering Roots, which began as a personal exploration of Armenian history and evolved into a global project. A significant portion of the discussion focuses on his series regarding Palestinians in Paraguay—a 1969 covert relocation plan that left many families stranded under false pretenses.

Key discussion points include:

* The Power of Oral Testimony: How to shape a narrative when official records are incomplete or intentionally obscured.

* The 1969 Relocation Plan: A look into the specific case of Palestinian migration to South America and the “false promises” of labor that drove it.

* Ethical Storytelling: Navigating the delicate balance between historical accountability and the sensitive nature of personal trauma.

* Archives as Tools for Justice: Why timing and accessibility matter when bringing these echoes of the past into current global contexts.

Key Topics

* Reconstructing the Past: The role of local newspapers and community memory in filling archival gaps.

* Community-Centered Narrative: The importance of elevating voices from within affected communities rather than observing from the outside.

* Storytelling & Accountability: How preserving history serves as a form of education and a check on power.

* Memory Reconstruction: The psychological and political significance of what a society chooses to remember—and what it forgets.

Resources and Links

* Uncovering Roots Podcast: uncoveringrootspod.com

* The Refugee Archive: therefugeearchive.org

About the Podcast

Across Archives is a production of The Refugee Archive, a research initiative dedicated to the lived experiences of displaced people worldwide. Alongside our companion series, The Archive Speaks, we explore how community storytelling can reshape history, amplify marginalized voices, and build global solidarity.

In this episode of Across Archives, host Kristin from The Refugee Archive speaks with Kristen Smith Dayley, Executive Director of TSOS, and Brandi Kilmer, Community Programs Coordinator and co founder of the Refugee Physicians Advocacy Coalition.

Kristen and Brandi walk us through the real experiences of refugee and internationally trained doctors who arrive in the United States ready to care for patients but find themselves stuck in long and expensive pathways to re enter medicine. They share what they see on the ground every day and how TSOS uses careful storytelling to help communities and decision makers understand what these doctors are truly facing.

Kristen talks about how her background in law shapes the way she protects storytellers and how consent is never a one time thing. Brandi explains what she has learned from walking with doctors who are trying to get back into the workforce and why a coalition can move change faster than any single group working alone.

Key Topics

• How Kristen began working with refugees and why consent guides her leadership

• What Brandi sees when supporting refugee physicians through the licensing maze

• Why storytelling influences policy and community programs

• How real stories from doctors help shape practical solutions like supervised practice and provisional licensing

• What ethical storytelling looks like in a world where online safety and privacy matter

• How local partners in Washington DC support refugee and immigrant professionals

Resources and Links

TSOS website: https://tsosrefugees.org/Refugee Physicians Advocacy Coalition project pageGeorgetown University School of Medicine partnership

About Across Archives

Across Archives is produced by The Refugee Archive, a storytelling and research initiative highlighting how archives, oral histories, and community storytelling preserve the lived experiences of migrants, immigrants, internally displaced people (IDPs), and refugees worldwide.

Together with our companion series, The Archive Speaks, we explore how archives can amplify refugee voices, build solidarity, and reshape how the record of displacement is remembered.

🎧 Continue the journey on The Archive Speaks, featuring the real voices of displaced women and single mothers around the world.

In this episode of Across Archives, host Pia from The Refugee Archive speaks with Dr. Benjamin Thomas White, Senior Lecturer in History at the University of Glasgow and co-editor of RefugeeHistory.org.Benjamin takes us through the global history of refugees — from early humanitarian camps of the First World War to today’s refugee crises — and reveals what these histories can teach us about forced displacement, nationhood, and how the world responds to people on the move.As a Middle East historian, Benjamin shares how his research in Syria, Iraq, France, and the UK led him toward refugee history. He reflects on why refugee voices are often missing from official archives, how the modern refugee camp emerged, and why public debates often misunderstand the structural causes of displacement.This conversation offers a powerful reminder that refugee histories are global, connected, and essential for understanding the world we live in today.Key Topics• How Benjamin shifted from Middle East history to global refugee history• The origins of modern refugee camps and what they reveal about humanitarianism• Why refugee voices are often missing from archives — and why that matters• What refugee history teaches us about today’s refugee policies and narrativesResources & LinksRefugee History: https://refugeehistory.orgDr. Benjamin’s blog: https://singularthings.wordpress.comJournal of Global History article: “UNHCR and the Algerian War of Independence” (2022)University of Glasgow: School of HumanitiesAbout Across ArchivesAcross Archives is produced by The Refugee Archive, a storytelling and research initiative highlighting how archives, oral histories, and community storytelling preserve the lived experiences of migrants, immigrants, internally displaced people (IDPs), and refugees worldwide.Together with our companion series, The Archive Speaks, we explore how archives can amplify refugee voices, build solidarity, and reshape how the record of displacement is remembered.🎧 Continue the journey on The Archive Speaks, featuring the real voices of displaced women and single mothers around the world.

In this episode of Across Archives, host Kristi speaks with Dr. Rumana Hashem — political sociologist, feminist criminologist, and Visiting Fellow at the Centre for Migration, Refugees and Belonging at the University of East London.Dr. Hashem shares her powerful journey from Bangladesh to the UK, exploring how gender, conflict, and displacement shaped her path into migration research and refugee archiving. Her work brings together activism, feminism, and decolonial research to challenge the barriers that prevent refugees and migrants from accessing the very archives meant to hold their stories.Together, Kristi and Rumana discuss what “ethical archiving” really means — who gets to belong, who is left out, and how projects like the Living Refugee Archive are changing access for displaced and undocumented communities.Dr. Hashem also opens up about her experience with restrictive academic systems, the politics of belonging in research, and the ongoing fight for equity and inclusion in migration studies.Key Topics• Rumana’s journey from Bangladesh to the UK and her PhD on gender and conflict• The ethics of archiving forced displacement and migration stories• Access and exclusion in academic and archival institutions• The meaning of “belonging” and “unbelonging” in refugee research• Challenges faced by displaced and undocumented researchers• The Living Refugee Archive and its role in democratizing access• Ethical storytelling and compensation for research participants• How activism, academia, and archiving intersect in migration work• Decolonial and intersectional approaches to archiving and belongingResources & LinksLiving Refugee Archive: http://www.livingrefugeearchive.orgCentre for Migration, Refugees and Belonging (University of East London): https://www.uel.ac.uk/researchJournal: Displaced Voices: A Journal of Migration Archives and Cultural HeritageAbout Across ArchivesAcross Archives is produced by The Refugee Archive — a space that highlights storytelling projects, archives, and oral histories that share the experiences of migrants, immigrants, internally displaced people (IDPs), and refugees around the world. Special attention is given to the voices of female-headed households and single mothers in displacement.Together, Across Archives and our companion series The Archive Speaks preserve lived experience, build solidarity, and reshape how the record of displacement is remembered.🎧 Continue the journey on The Archive Speaks, our oral history audio archive featuring the voices of women and mothers living through displacement.

In this episode of Across Archives, host Kristi speaks with Heather Oman, Associate Director at Their Story Is Our Story (TSOS) — a storytelling organization dedicated to amplifying refugee and displaced voices around the world. Heather shares her journey from writer to refugee advocate, joining TSOS in its early days during the Syrian refugee crisis. She explains how storytelling can bridge divides, change hearts, and create empathy by allowing refugees to represent themselves in their own words. Together, we explore what it means to tell stories ethically and with consent, how TSOS collects narratives from around the world — from Germany to Bangladesh to the United States — and why every story, no matter how small, helps connect us as one global family. Heather also reflects on the challenges of data privacy, AI, and consent in storytelling, and how TSOS continues to train others in trauma-informed interviewing to ensure that every story is treated with respect and care.

Key Topics

• Heather’s journey from writer to Associate Director at TSOS

• The founding and growth of Their Story Is Our Story

• Storytelling trips to Germany, Greece, Bangladesh, Ukraine, and the U.S.

• How refugee stories build empathy and challenge stereotypes • Ethical storytelling and robust consent processes

• The impact of AI and digital security on refugee archives

• Trauma-informed interviewing and training initiatives

• Why storytelling changes hearts more effectively than statistics

• Building global connection through refugee narratives

Resources & Links

Their Story Is Our Story: https://tsosrefugees.orgScholars Archive (BYU): https://scholarsarchive.byu.edu

About Across ArchivesAcross Archives is produced by The Refugee Archive. It’s a space that highlights storytelling projects, archives, and oral histories that share the experiences of migrants, immigrants, internally displaced people (IDPs), and refugees around the world. Special attention is given to female-headed households and single mothers in displacement. Together, these efforts bridge divides, build solidarity, and reshape how the record of displacement is remembered.

🎧 At the end of every episode, we invite listeners to continue the journey on The Archive Speaks, our oral history audio archive featuring the real voices of women and mothers experiencing displacement.