A Rural Refugee — ERICA DISCHINO

Kosar laughs while walking down a country road in Colfax Township June 29, 2019. “This is just what home looks like.,” she said.

Kosar washes her face in the bathroom before praying during her lunch break at United Community Action Partnership Feb. 13, 2018 in Willmar. After graduating high school, she worked several jobs and now works as a Somali Bilingual Outreach Worker at

Kosar, left, and her sister Ismahan Kosar with her three-month-old son Ilhan Liban sit on the couch in their apartment in Willmar Mar. 30, 2018. Kosar’s sister gave birth to Liban this January. Both sisters stayed in Minnesota while their family liv

Hamdi Kosar chats with a friend before the Minnesota West Community and Technical College graduation ceremony May 15, 2019 at Yellow Medicine East High School in Granite Falls. Kosar graduated with a certificate in being a Community Health Worker.

Hamdi Kosar answers a phone call while her friends plays games on their phones Feb. 14, 2019 in Willmar.

Hamdi Kosar facilitates a leadership program that aims to empower women in the Willmar community to take action and become leaders June 11, 2019 at the Community Integration Center.

Kosar eats with Jessica Rohloff, a friend and colleague, March 9, 2019 at Frieda’s Cafe, a popular spot for railroad workers and longtime Willmar residents. Jessica and Hamdi work to heal tensions between Somali refugees and other Willmar area resid

Kosar rests in her apartment Mar. 30, 2018. She does not have much free time because of her many obligations. Despite having been in the United States for only several years, she said she feels as if she has found her place in the community most of

Kosar and her family members carry suitcases out of their apartment in Willmar to leave for the Minneapolis-Saint Paul International Airport Mar. 4, 2018. Eight of Kosar’s siblings and her two parents are flying back to stay in Garissa, a city in Ke

Hamdi Kosar pauses while walking through the streets of Eastleigh, a predominantly Muslim and Somali neighborhood in Nairobi, Aug. 16, 2019. Many Somali refugees shop here while they are in the resettlement centers before they head elsewhere to seek

Khalid Ahmed, Kosar's cousin, helps lift a suitcase up the steps while Hamdi Kosar and Jessica Rohloff follow Aug. 23, 2019 in Nairobi. Kosar had met Ahmed just several days before and has many family members that she has never met after being reset

Ruqia Osman embraces Hamdi Kosar Aug. 19, 2019 at the Dagahaley Refugee Camp in Dadaab, Kenya. Osman has lived in the camp for around 30 years and went through the resettlement process with Kosar’s family nearly a decade ago. Her daughter, who she h

Hamdi Kosar stands up after sitting at a desk in her former elementary school, Juba Primary School, Aug. 20, 2019 at the Dagahaley Refugee Camp in Dadaab, Kenya. The school offers many forms of enrichment, including the debate team which she was a p

Hamdi Kosar climbs a tree “just like I used to do” Aug. 19 at the Dagahaley Refugee Camp in Dadaab, Kenya.

Hamdi Kosar looks out the window while driving through the marketplace Aug. 20 at the Dagahaley Refugee Camp in Dadaab, Kenya. Many refugees have their own business and sell goods at the market place within the camp. “It brings back memories,” Kosar

This documentary project was funded by the Southwest Minnesota Arts Council, Willmar Lakes Area Vision 2040 and a GoFundMe campaign. The series won First Place Photo Story/Essay in the National Press Photographers Association Central Region’s Monthly News Clip Contest in Sept. 2019.

WILLMAR, MN — Hamdi Kosar was 12 years old when she left everything she knew and came to the United States to find a better life.

She and her family boarded a bus in the middle of the night, said goodbye to their friends, and dreamed of the new life they were going to have.

Kosar, 20, was born at the Dagahaley Refugee Camp, one of four refugee camps based in Dadaab, Kenya, housing Somali refugees who escaped their home country's political and economic instability. She has never set foot in Somalia, but the country has shaped her life in many ways.

In March of 2011, the Kosar family traveled from Kenya to Arizona, then to several towns in Minnesota, eventually settling in Willmar. Kosar began attending Willmar Senior High School in 2012.

Throughout her teenage years, Kosar said she experienced bullying from her peers.

"They would make fun of my hijab and it would be hard for me leave class to pray," she said. "I had never been to a place where I was discriminated against because of my skin color or my faith until I came here. But, I realized Allah gave me the opportunity to show other people what I can do and fight for others."

In March 2018, Kosar's eight siblings and her parents flew to Garissa, a city in Kenya, to live there for several years while she and her sister Ismahan Kosar stay in Willmar. The Kosars moved back to Kenya to allow the children to familiarize themselves with the family's culture.

"I am going to miss them, but I have a life here now," she said. "It was hard to see them go, but I've created a community here and I want to keep working."

Kosar uses her experiences to voice what it is like to live as a refugee in rural Minnesota.

The adversity Kosar faced, she said, drove her to share her story and advocate for fellow immigrants and refugees in Minnesota.

"My faith tells me to give back, and I want to help others this way," she said. "I have to do it for others who are to scared to do it themselves."

Kosar continues to speak openly about her story at city, county and statewide gatherings, as well as to college students and other local political groups. She published a book in June of 2017 titled "To the Beautiful You," about her life as an immigrant, and she is in the process of writing her second book. She said writing provides her with a platform to share her story.

Kosar is also working toward an associates degree at Ridgewater College.

After eight years of living in the United States, Kosar said she has found her place, and now puts her efforts into building community in the Willmar area. She does this through her work as a Somali bilingual outreach worker at United Community Action Partnership, through her volunteering to teach English classes at the Cultural Integration Center in downtown Willmar to Somali immigrants, and through her involvement in religious and political groups.

"Life will push you to the edge until you say, 'I'm ready to get up,'" Kosar said. "When you believe that God is with you throughout the entire way, when you have that trust, you are no longer fearful. That's why I do what I do and try and give back to the community."

This story was published in three parts by the West Central Tribune.