Nine refugees from Eritrea, Somalia and Ethiopia left Malta to begin a new life in the United States in the past week.

The United States has been actively engaged in refugee resettlement from Malta since 2006 and has resettled 654 refugees in this period.

The refugees will be resettled in several different cities across the US.

Ambassador Douglas Kmiec hosted a reception at his residence to welcome the refugees to their new lives in America. He remarked:

"The U.S. Refugee Resettlement programme represents a small contribution by the people of the United States to help alleviate the world's suffering.

"This programme is a success thanks to the collaboration of the Malta government and the hard work of the staff at the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, the International Organisation for Migration and the people of the United States of America.

"It is hard to imagine a responsible programme dealing with migrants without UNHCR, IOM and dedicated non-governmental organisations like the Jesuit Refugee Service and the Emigrants Commission."

Once they arrive in the US, each refugee will be assigned a sponsor agency that provides initial services such as housing, food, and clothing, as well as referral to medical care, employment services, and other support during a transition period lasting up to two years in order to ensure integration and assimilation.