Contact: Jill Watson, 305-448-5111

NEW YORK, March 7, 2017 /Christian Newswire/ -- On International Women's Day, Malteser International Americas, an affiliate of Malteser International, the humanitarian relief agency of the Order of Malta, today announced that it will lead a side-panel at the United Nations (UN) on Tuesday, March 21, 2017 from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m., centered on helping women to find hope and opportunity in the midst of the global refugee crisis.

The panel entitled, "Women Caught in the Global Refugee Crisis: Finding Hope and Opportunity in Despair" will take place at the Ex-Press Bar at the UN (3rd Flr. NW corner of the General Assembly Building), and is scheduled during the UN 61st Session of the Commission on the Status of Women.

Heading up the panel are: Ravi Tripptrap, Executive Director, Malteser International Americas; Ninette Kelley, Director of the New York Office, United Nations High Commission on Refugees; H.E. Mr. Odo Tevi, Ambassador of Vanuatu to the United Nations; James Wiley, COO, Counter Human Trafficking Compliance Solutions; and Amal, a female refugee.

These global humanitarian leaders will offer a hard look into the world of female refugees, present their experience empowering refugee women, and sharing their global relief efforts and solutions, which lead to opportunity and hope for women in countries most challenged with refugees and internally displaced people (IDP).

Malteser International's empowering Cash-for-Work program in Middle Eastern Refugee Camps will be highlighted. The program offers trainings and cash-for-work for unskilled females, while offering renewed stability, better livelihoods and stronger family structure.

"Each woman in a refugee camp has a deeply personal story, which is oftentimes accompanied by unconscionable tragedy. Many have lost children and family members. The lives of these mothers, daughters, sisters, and wives are filled with anguish, and their dignity has been stripped from them. Malteser International's Cash-for-Work program empowers women and offers them a life-saving opportunity to create stability and normalcy for themselves --and their families-- within the camps," said Ravi Tripptrap, Executive Director, Malteser International Americas.

The panel is open to public, and interested attendees must RSVP ASAP, or by March 17th, and include their full name, contact information, and confirmation of attendance in an email to: contact@malteser-international.org. Registration/sign-up for this event is required due to limited seating capacity.