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• Place: Rockwell Pavilion, MD Anderson Library, UH | Map
• When: Tuesday, June 26, 2012 | 11:30-1:30pm
• Moderator: Claudia Kolker, Author of "The Immigrant Advantage: What We Can Learn from Newcomers to America about Health, Happiness, and Hope"
• Panelists: Dr. Sophia Banu (Menninger/Baylor), Caitriona Lyons (State Refugee Program Coordinator)

Lunch served with confirmed RSVP to (WGSS@uh.edu, 713-743-3214). Ethiopian lunch, with cookies by Indika included with RSVP. Program is free.

Please join the Houston Refugee Women's Collaborative for a panel discussion on the refugee experience, on June 26. World conflicts cause global migrations, and in 2010 the UNHCR estimated there were 15.4 million refugees and 27.5 million people displaced within their country by war and natural disasters. About 1.5% of these refugees resettle annually across the US (264,000 in 2010), including Houston, which has a vibrant international community. While male refugees learn the language and ways of the new world fairly quickly through work and community interaction, refugee women are often isolated at home with children, still dealing with the traumas that brought them here. The HRWC works to aid their transition.

The Resilient Soul panel will give Houstonians a sense of the refugee dynamic in Houston, both the difficulties refugees face and the strengths and skills they bring to our community. After the panel, please join us for lunch and conversation at each table with resettled Houstonians.