The San Diego Diplomacy Council is delighted to present our next event in the Global Leaders Online Forum series, “A Crisis Within A Crisis: Refugees in Times of COVID-19,” on Tuesday, June 16 at 10 AM Pacific Time. This event will feature the International Visitor Leadership Program (IVLP) Alumna, Ms. Nesrine Metry, Health Manager of the Refugee Program at Caritas Egypt. Ms. Metry will discuss the current situation for refugees in Egypt, how the pandemic is impacting them, and the ways in which her IVLP professional exchange has impacted her life and work. She will be joined by Ms. Carmen Kcomt, Refugee Congress Delegate for California and Director of Legal Advocacy and Social Services at La Maestra Community Health Centers, who will offer her insight into how refugees and immigrants are being affected by the pandemic in the San Diego community.

A Pharmacist by training, Ms. Metry is currently a Health Manager at Caritas Egypt, where she heads a UNHCR-funded project that serves more than 100,000 refugees and asylum seekers in Egypt. She oversees a comprehensive operation of health care provision, leading a team of over 40 people, and managing a budget of over $2 million.

Ms. Metry’s passion for community development and empowerment began at an early age when she attended a French, Catholic missionary school in Alexandria. For over two decades, in professional and volunteer capacities, she has coached, supervised and trained a new generation of Egyptian Youth to adopt the culture of coexistence and overcome gender, faith, and ethnic differences. She has also been active in a wide array of volunteer activities, including fighting female circumcision and early marriage, raising health awareness and unleashing the potential within marginalized communities. Ms. Metry is a founding member of the MENA Civil Society Network for Displacement (MENA CSND), and a former consultant for the Egyptian National Council for Women.

Ms. Metry visited the U.S. in September of 2019 under the International Visitor Leadership Program (IVLP) as part of a delegation from Egypt focused on “Responses to Refugee Issues.” During their time in San Diego, the delegation met with community members and representatives from the San Diego Immigrant Rights Consortium, San Diego County Office of  Refugee Coordination, Allies to End Detention, the Multi-Cultural Community Relations Office of the San Diego Police Department, La Maestra Community Health Centers,  SAY San Diego Crawford Community Connection, San Diego Unified School District, and Casa Cornelia Law Center.

Click here to register in advance.

After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting.