Our Story
The EHS journey began during the refugee crisis in Europe in 2015, where more than 1.8 million migrants from the Middle East and North Africa fled their countries in search of safety elsewhere. At the same time, the Balkan Route emerged as a path for many refugees seeking asylum in European countries.
Several underserved, informal refugee communities (IRCs) sprang up along this route and there was a notable absence of traditional aid organizations. Recognizing this gap, a network of individual volunteers, mobilized to provide much-needed assistance to these IRCs. Our founder, Tanya M. Schenk, was one of them.
Being deeply involved in this grassroots movement, Tanya witnessed firsthand the resilience and struggles of refugee and displaced populations. She began a collection of essential items that she transported and distributed throughout Europe herself. This hands-on experience allowed for a profound understanding of the extreme circumstances these individuals faced during their flight and the enduring trauma that accompanied them.
This, in turn, led to a pivotal realization about the lack of mental health interventions tailored to suit the unique needs of these vulnerable populations and became the driving force behind the creation of Everyone Has a Story (EHS). Over the last three years, EHS has added multiple populations and versions of the app. We intend to continue scaling to help the world’s most vulnerable populations.
“There is no greater agony than bearing an untold story inside you.”
