Meet Kosar. This Refugee Week, she shares her story.

This Refugee Week, the theme A Million Stories celebrates the journeys, experiences and contributions of people from refugee backgrounds who have helped shape Australia. Behind every story is courage, resilience and hope for the future.

Kosar’s story is one of those million stories.

Kosar arrived in Australia three years ago as a teenager with her mother and sisters, joining her father who had settled here earlier. Having spent part of her childhood in a refugee camp in Bangladesh after her family was displaced from Myanmar, she faced many challenges as she adjusted to life in a new country.

“It was very hard,” Kosar says. “I couldn’t speak English very well and it was difficult to communicate and express myself.”

But Kosar was determined to learn, grow and make the most of the opportunities around her.

After first settling in Greenacre, Kosar and her family made Lakemba their home. It was there that a friend encouraged her to join 4Cs’ Sahiliyaan girls’ program.

At first, she simply wanted to meet new people and make friends.

But even after her friends stopped attending, Kosar kept coming.

“I got to know Romana from 4Cs, and she helped me find many opportunities to gain new skills and do so many things,” she says.

Through Sahiliyaan and other 4Cs programs, Kosar discovered new interests, built her confidence and developed skills that are helping shape her future.

Today, she is studying a Diploma of Business at Western Sydney University and has participated in floristry training, business workshops and the International Women’s Day Night Market.

A talented artist, Kosar loves calligraphy, painting and floristry. She dreams of combining her creativity with entrepreneurship and is exploring ideas for a small business selling calligraphy, artwork and floral arrangements.

“I like to be creative,” she says with a smile.

For Kosar, learning about business and marketing through 4Cs has opened up exciting possibilities.

“I learned about social media and marketing and how small businesses start,” she says. “I’m still planning my business, but I want to continue.”

Kosar says the opportunities she has found in Australia have helped her grow in confidence and discover new possibilities.

“The opportunities I found here opened up a whole new world for me,” she says. “I can express myself and I feel belonging here.”

Looking back on the last three years, she is proud of how far she has come.

“My life has totally changed,” she says. “I can’t compare these three years with the first sixteen years of my life.”

Kosar hopes her story encourages other young people from refugee backgrounds to believe in themselves and embrace new opportunities.

“You can do everything other people can do, even if we have language barriers,” she says. “You have to set your goals, be determined and work hard.”

Her message is simple but powerful:

“Take the opportunity. You can do whatever you want to do.”

Kosar’s story is just one of a million.

But like every story shared during Refugee Week, it reminds us that behind the word “refugee” is a person with dreams, talents and aspirations. And when communities come together to support one another, those stories become stories of belonging, contribution and hope.
Together, they form the rich tapestry of Australia – a million stories, each helping to shape the country we all call home.

To learn more about Refugee Week