Here are some photos of 2 little “heart” kids coming to Grand Rapids from Santo Domingo for heart surgery. The male escort is Ruben Goico, an AA Agent in SDQ. He brought them to MIA and on the right he hands them over to Kim Nguyen-Hart, who is a flight attendant and also an RN, who then took them from MIA to GRR. It was exciting for Healing the Children Michigan to once again have 2 little “heart” patients to care for. Our darling little 8 year old girl was all smiles the entire trip but our precious little 3 year old boy required more TLC, which is quite normal for a child his age who has suddenly been told goodbye by his family and handed over to a stranger. It was not an easy trip for our two escorts, especially Kim, who also had to make a connection with them in ORD. But the mission was accomplished and soon the kids will have their hearts repaired and we will return them to their families all healthy and happy.
Check out this great article on one of our Children’s Escort Coordinators – Connie Lowry:We mourn the loss of one of our volunteer escorts – Joshua Moss, who died suddenly last week. The family asked that in his memory, donations be sent to Airline Ambassadors in lieu of flowers. Donations can be made via this LINK or by sending a check to : 1500 Mass. Ave. NW, #648 Washington DC 20005.
“Joshua was always so willing to help us out with an escort and did a wonderful job, too. I know that I had not heard from him for a long time but had no idea he was ill. This is quite a shock and I am so sorry to receive such terrible news” said Margaret Whitehead, Director of the Children’s Medical Escort Program,
He is pictured escorting a 6 year old named Nikita from an orphanage in Kiev, Ukraine to receive treatment for a debilitating disease that had taken away the use of his legs.
Condolences can be sent to to his mother, Nancy Christie at 13617 Jeanette, Poway, CA 92064
Bravo to Kate Jewell and Kim Hooker who spearheaded our first team to Nepal with AIRINTERMED to support the Eco Farm in the Sanku Valley. The girls spent days with the children there who had lost their families in the earthquake, or been abandoned or abused, but were open and grateful for friendship with the team from Airline Ambassadors. Here is a quote from Kim after the trip: “I had a wonderful experience! Working with Kate was great and we had such a good time with all the children and staff at the EcoFarm. I hope to go back again someday and this is making a difference in so many lives.”
See this article by Kate in Orcas Issues magazine that gives an overview on the experience. Here are a few pics from the trip and other contacts made as well:
Warm coats just in time
Thanks to a generous donation from Katrina Ynclan and Airline Ambassadors International, warm coats were purchased and delivered to the children of the Eco Farm….just in time for the first chill of autumn! (pic of the kids with with Abaya Khanal, Krishna Silwal, Jay Karki and Pundhi.)
Thank you to Angels of Hope
Colorful shirts were also a welcome gift from Angels of Hope. The children enjoyed the coloring books and inspirational cards (printed in Nepali) too! Airline Ambassadors teams have delivered these shirts to Haiti, Colombia, Philippines, Hungary and now Nepal as well. See more pictures from Angels of hope HERE.
pictured: AIRINTERMED Kim Hooker, Kate Jewell and Eco Farm Staff.
Kate Jewell had the pleasure of meeting some of the women who make the beautiful beaded bracelets sold by AAI to support our work fighting human slavery. These talented ladies string the tiny beads and then crochet them into a lovely bracelet. Devendra Amgain is the artist behind the designs and supplies to beads and supplies to over 400 women, who can work from home in Kathmandu, Gorkha and another area of Nepal creating wearable art.
MAITI NEPAL founder, Anuradha Koirala was named CNN Hero of the Year for saving over 12,000 victims of trafficking. MAITI NEPAL is instrumental in rescuing the girls and providing them with shelter and a place to heal. Kate had the honor of meeting with Anuradha Koirala, and the facility director, Bishwo Ram Khadka. They discussed a partnership with AAI to train airline personnel internationally and implement the training protocol in Nepal and India.They would like to see all airport customer service agents trained as well as security people.
We are also now researching programs of support for Maiti Nepal and teaching some of these girls how to make these bracelets for Airline Ambassadors, as shown above.
Kate is pictured on left with Abaya Khanal, Anuradha Koirala and Bisho Ram Khadka
Below is one of Kate’s -Reports from the Field:
Namaste,
I am very pleased with the experience at the Eco Farm. I am confidant that all volunteers will be well taken care of and made as comfortable as possible. Abhaya Khanal accompanied us to the Farm and is invaluable …I know the volunteers are in good hands. Jay Ram is an excellent cook…..his spices make each dal bhaat meal delicious and a little different. The Eco Farm is truly wonderful. The children are healthy and happy. The staff is very attentive and loving.
Some observations-
I will be encouraging volunteers to bring activities to do with the children. Children do not need help dressing or with homework. Kim Hooker started a morning exercise program which they loved and hopefully will continue. They also LOVE doing new games and activities after school and in free time. Walking to school with them is fun as is taking a walk for ice cream on Saturday. Just talking with them is a joy, encourages them to use their English….and helps us form a bond.
As far as the Divine Light English School — I think volunteers just going into each classroom to introduce themselves, talk about where they live, what they do — then ask and answer questions from the students will be a great asset to all. Of course, ask the teacher what he would want or need you to do. I had the best time….writing my name on the board, drawing a cat…..and they “got it”. Then I showed them photos of my cats on my ipad and had them repeat my cats names….Fritz, Punky Kabunky, Pooky Kabooky and Scoogie MaGoogie. By that time, they were all laughing! Some classes really responded…asking lots of questions…singing and dancing for me. One boy drew a picture of me. Delightful!
Meeting with Parbaty and Gopal Karki, founder and principal of the school will be essential for goodwill and PR. Parbaty will probably give gifts.. she gave me the fashionable chapeau (shown in the photo with the boys drawing of me), so I will advise volunteers to bring a small token….It is interestng that two people who run an English school have trouble understandng and speaking English.
Health Ed was the biggest surprise. The basics are still a work in progress. The school bathrooms smell terrible. There is no soap. kids are not washing their hands after using bathroom or before tiffin (lunch). Gopal’s excuse is that the children broke pipes and tiles in the bathroom, 
soap diasppeared….so ke garne? (what to do?). I know they can do better. So, we talked about handwashing in an assembly of the children. I also spoke at length about school pride and how a littered school yard is not something to be proud of! I suggested trash cans in each class and a large can by the stairways and in the school yard. The principal joined me in a plea for school cleanliness We suggested that after some time, if a student is caught littering, he will be fined. We also suggested having a prize for the cleanest classroom. Abhaya suggested the prize be a nice pen for the children. I just received over 50 pens from a tourist here so the prize is already available to the winner….if there is ever a winner.
Shahrazan Isa is a United Nations Youth Representative for Airline Ambassadors and represented us at the International Young Leaders Assembly (IYLA) which took place at United Nations headquarters in New York, on August 18,2015
Currently there are 1.8 billion young people around the world. This is the largest number of youth in given history. Moreover, it is crucial for youth to participate in the decisions of politics, economic affairs, cultural ideas and much more social activities. Young people are today’s leaders and have to be involved in making a better tomorrow.
It is apparent that education of young people is increasing however according to the International Labour Organization (ILO), “young people are three times more likely to be unemployed than adults and almost 73 million youth worldwide are looking for work.” Multiple speakers have brought up the frustration and lack of opportunity economically, socially and politically. This augments youth vulnerability and leads to many to turn in desperation to violent organizations. As speaker Poonam Ahluwalia, mentioned how she was concerned about the lack of jobs available for youth. Ahluwalia founded the organization titled YES, which works to incorporate young people into the job market.
Dr. Su Thye, founder of the Global Peace foundation, gave his speech on leadership and had the audience think of leadership and the qualities of what makes a leader. Dr. Su Thye said “All of us aspire to be somebody and it is what motivates us to do things in life.” And he asked the audience a series of questions to get them to think of why we want to become leaders and what is the greater purpose of leadership. Thye goes on to explain what make a bad leader is one who focuses on their self-interest and not of the greater good of humanity. In contrast, good leaders strive for a purpose that is bigger than oneself. Good leaders seek to not only benefit the community but also for the nation and the global community this is what is a moral leader. Thye explained how there is a huge deficit of moral leaders.
Rosemary Odinga, director of Odinga foundation spoke about how young people around the world do not have an identity in the eyes of their government. Odinga explains how the belonging is “where you are accountable for your country and your country is accountable for you.” Odinga explains how the engagement of young people helped make a difference like the Arab Spring started from young people voicing their frustration and in the United States young people helped elect the first African American president. Although young people are making a difference in many countries around the world the youth are discounted from social, political and economic affairs. In Kenya the youth make up 75% of the population, yet they battle with unemployment, deprived access to healthcare, lack business opportunities and hardly have access to financial services. The cause of these battles youth are facing in Kenya and many other parts of the globe is simply because identity cards for youth are non existent. Not having papers to identify you as a person symbolizes illegitimacy in the government’s eyes. By the youth having a lack of belonging makes them vulnerable to groups like Isis, Boko Haram, Al Qaeda and Al Shabab. Odinga has dedicated the past 7 years to help youth in Kenya gain legitimacy by helping them get identity cards and birth certificates. Odinga explains how an identity card is a necessity for governments to implement border control, disaster aid and voting. Odinga works with the organization called “yes youth can my ID my life campaign”, which helps youth obtained IDs and other forms of identification.
Come and visit Maria’s Home Orphanage and Mpumelelo Day Care Center in the squatter area of Johannesburg S.Africa. We will be helping over 100 children. There are 20 babies that are in desperate need of our love…they need holding…they don’t get much physical contact. This is the first trip there in many years, and I am very happy to start it again. Below is the itinerary for our trip.
Click Here to sign up for the mission.
I have information on Safaris (1 day and up trips) and other activities if you would like to plan something before or after the trip, just let me know.
Day 1
December 1
Arrive in JNB
Transportation provided to the guest house The Outlook Lodge
Dinner/snack provided at guesthouse
Day 2
December 2
7-8 am Breakfast (provided)
8:30 leave for the Daycare
Introduction and fun morning of activities
* includes things we bring with us (jewelry making, painting, and more)
12:30 leave for Maria’s place (orphanage of 30 children)
Lunch provided
5-6 depart for guesthouse
Dinner provided at guesthouse
Free evening, resting at our guesthouse
Day 3
December 3
Same as day 2 with the exception of doing a project (will know more soon)
Day 4
December 4
Last day with the children same as above but adding a little party for all of us including a fun snack and BBQ with the children (including ice cream and watermelon this day or day 3)
The children will put on a thank you show for us.
The transportation is provided in the cost along with a small donation to each place. The price includes a sharing room (2beds) at the guest house, you may get a private room at an additional cost. Food is also provided at the guesthouse. If we plan an evening out this will not be included.
Price for the trip $525 Click here to register or pay for the trip.
( price could change with the final cost of the van service but not by much)
Includes everything listed above for all if us including the children
I will provide a list of things needed once you sign up. This is a long way to travel so we might be buying things there. Thank you,
Cheryl Robinson
Regional Director AAI
517-599-4095
Cheryl.robinson@airlineamb.org
hdchey@netscape.net
See this Report on the Training from Ministry of Interior regarding Airline Ambassadors Awareness Training in Budapest, Hungary on Oct. 14 & 15, 2015.
& Celebration of the 9th EU Anti Trafficking Day
Here are Facebook Posts by the Ministry
Ms Krisztina Berta, Deputy State Secretary for EU and National Anti-Trafficking Coordinator Ministry of Interior opened the conference, followed by remarks by Nancy Rivard, Airline Ambassadors International, Giji Gya, DCAF, Dr. Benedek Mándi, Interpol, Dr. Szonja Szabó, National Bureau of 
Investigation as well as Hungarian Police. The idea of training air crew staff and airport personnel is a social innovation in community policing, providing thousands more eyes and ears to recognize and report Human Trafficking.
This was AAI’s 32nd Awareness Training and the 3rd European training. Trainers include Nancy Rivard, Donna Hubbard and Sandra Hodges. No airline in Europe incorporates training of their personnel. The AAI team included representatives from the Association of Flight Attendants, Lantos Foundation and FBI. See More Here
The training was especially relevant given the mass migration of Syrian refugees through Hungary. Migrant and desperate populations become vulnerable and recipients were very grateful for the warm coats water and food provided by our team at the border. Participants just wished they could do more to ease the human suffering of this humanitarian crisis. Many thanks for support from the Lantos Institute and LDS Charities.
As well the team visited Szilagyi Erzsebet Gyermekotthon, the same orphanage that AAI visited in 2003 as part of a celebration of the 75th birthday of Congressman Tom Lantos. The kids loved the Angel, coloring books and adorable T shirts from Angels of Hope and a donation was gratefully received from Lantos Foundation and AAI.
Upcoming trainings are planned in the Bay Area – Pre SuperBowl at SFO, SJC and OAK, see this coverage from last year, and with a bit more funding in Houston, Atlanta, Boston and Los Angeles. Stay posted!
Chicago based AA flight attendant, Maria Horgan escorted baby Glorias from ORD to PHL recently for donated surgery to correct a congenital deformity in her shoulder that leaves her right arm useless. Maria met baby Glorias in ORD where she was handed over by two other AAI escorts, ORD Envoy flight attendant Isabel Moss and LAXAA flight attendant Bernadette Cassidy who had accompanied her and one other little girl from CDG. The babies were brought from Abidjan to Paris by Aviation sans Frontieres escorts.
Due to a grant mobilized by youth Ambassador Brett Halverson, AAI was able to provide funding for school fees, supplies, shoes, etc for children at at Diakonos International Children’s Home in Carrefeur, Haiti. Martine Longchamp led the team to deliver the supplies and here are excerpts from her thank you letter below:
“Support from people like you provide the monetary and moral support needed for us to carry on the struggle of our vision to foster a learning society where Haïti’s destitute and vulnerable children can blossom into educated, fully functional, self-supporting, and productive members of society.
Most Haïtian children grow up in an environment of poverty, abandonment, neglect and illiteracy which in turn leads to homelessness and crime. They realize that education is likely their bestway out of poverty and know that education is a privilege, and they are proud to wear their school uniforms. You will seldom find a child skipping school in Haïti!
With the cost of public schooling averaging $250 per child each year, education is a luxury many children just cannot afford. Poor families make tremendous sacrifices such as going without food or other necessities, work dusk to dawn in the marketplaces, and live in desperately cramped quarters to pay tuition for a child to attend school. Even with these sacrifices, only 5% of the children who start school will able to finish secondary school due to the inability of their parents to provide for their school supplies and uniforms. A key source of funds is from Haïtians living abroad, who, according to the Inter-American Development Bank, sent back more than $1.6 billion in 2006. These funds have helped a lot of families to purchase supplies such as textbooks and other materials for the school year, it is still not enough.
Rebecca Adams, who manages a worldwide education and health program for USAID was reported to have said: “In Haïti, 50 percent of children and adolescents have never attended or didn’t complete primary school and can’t read, which means there is little chance they can escape the intergenerational cycle of poverty”.
These individual thank you notes from the children can’t help but steal your heart. Thank YOU Martine, for your dedication and your love.
Popes speech to UN on Sept 24, 2015
“Our world demands of all government leaders a will which is effective, practical and constant, concrete steps and immediate measures for preserving and improving the natural environment and thus putting an end as quickly as possible to the phenomenon of social and economic exclusion, with its baneful consequences: human trafficking, the marketing of human organs and tissues, the sexual exploitation of boys and girls, slave labour, including prostitution, the drug and weapons trade, terrorism and international organized crime. We need to ensure that our institutions are truly effective in the struggle against all these scourges.”
September 24, 2015, after an inspiring opening by the Pope, world leaders from 181 countries formally adopted the Sustainable Development Goals as a blueprint to bring humanity to a world without poverty.
These 17 goals provide measurable indicators for every country to build a better world.
Goal 1: End poverty in all its forms everywhere
Goal 2: End hunger, achieve food security and improved nutrition and promote sustainable agriculture
Goal 3: Ensure healthy lives and promote well-being for all at all ages
Goal 4: Ensure inclusive and quality education for all and promote lifelong learning
Goal 5: Achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls
Goal 6: Ensure access to water and sanitation for all
Goal 7: Ensure access to affordable, reliable, sustainable and modern energy for all
Goal 8: Promote inclusive and sustainable economic growth, employment and decent work for all
Goal 9: Build resilient infrastructure, promote sustainable industrialization and foster innovation
Goal 10: Reduce inequality within and among countries
Goal 11: Make cities inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable
Goal 12: Ensure sustainable consumption and production patterns
Goal 13: Take urgent action to combat climate change and its impacts
Goal 14: Conserve and sustainably use the oceans, seas and marine resources
Goal 16: Promote just, peaceful and inclusive societies
Goal 17: Revitalize the global partnership for sustainable development
AAI was privileged to be part of this historic event and hear commitments from President’s of Germany, Norway, Vietnam and Kenya, discussing their countries commitments to Secretary General Ban Ki Moon.
Airline Ambassadors efforts to “Travel & Make a Difference” promotes the understanding of our common humanity and our responsibility to one another and to all Life.
