The Refugee Crisis: Stories from the Front Lines
May 18th, 2017
More than 65 million people around the world have been forced from their homes due to violence. The amount of displaced persons has increased by nearly 10% this past year alone, and by 50% over the last five years. Additionally, more than half of the world’s refugees (those who flee to another country) are children under the age of 18. Refugees are fleeing countries across the Middle East, Eastern Europe, the Balkans, and Africa due to ongoing violence and instability, political conflicts, extreme poverty or famine, and human rights abuses.
In 2016, Mercy Corps’ response to the global refugee crisis impacted the lives of more than 8 million refugees. Join us on May 18 for a conversation with Mercy Corps Senior Global Communications Officer and first responder Christy Delafield focusing on the refugee crisis and the millions of youth currently at a crossroads. Delafield will share inspiring stories of youth forging a stronger future - from a student thriving in Zaatari refugee camp to a young Syrian break dancer - despite coming of age in conflict.
About the speaker:
Christy Delafield is Mercy Corps’ Senior Global Communications Officer. She is first to deploy in case of an emergency for the communications team, reporting on conditions on the ground and raising awareness of humanitarian crises. In the past 2 years, she has spent extensive time embedded with humanitarian response teams in Jordan and Turkey supporting Mercy Corps’ Syria response.
Prior to joining Mercy Corps, Delafield managed external outreach and advocacy related to the Syria crisis as Director of the Syrian Expatriates Organization, a humanitarian nonprofit, and served as the Liaison for Humanitarian Assistance for the Syrian Coalition. She also managed international good governance programs in Muslim-majority and Francophone countries with the National Conference of State Legislatures.
Delafield received BAs in French and Integrative Arts with a minor in International Studies from the Pennsylvania State University in 2002. She was subsequently awarded a Fulbright teaching grant. Delafield splits her time between Washington, DC and field deployments.
About the moderator:
Kristen Dailey is the Executive Director of Global Washington. Kristen has over 20 years of experience in international development including advocacy, issue campaigns, microcredit, and building partnerships among NGOs, businesses, and government. Most recently, she was the Chief Operating Officer and Senior Vice President at the Initiative for Global Development where she played a leadership role in growing the organization from a small program in Seattle to an international business alliance.
Her professional background also includes work at Global Partnerships, the United Nations Foundation, and working with low-income refugee and immigrant families in South Seattle. Her expertise includes strategic planning, membership models, budgeting, fundraising, and corporate partnerships.
Kristen holds a Master’s degree in public administration from the Daniel J. Evans School of Public Affairs at the University of Washington and is committed to finding effective, sustainable solutions to world poverty.