AAI provided TWO Human Trafficking Awareness training’s in Philadelphia on September 18, 2018.

 

 

 

 

 

 

We cannot thank you enough for your support and for providing the two training sessions at PHL.  I have had countless requests today to add more sessions!  Word traveled fast on how informative and moving the sessions were.”  Jim Moses, GM American Airlines PHL Airport.

Many thanks for support from sponsor Travelliance and  PHL Professional Women in Aviation as well as American Airlines for their support. Special thanks to Karen Rathman of Travelliance and Rachael Tamalonis for support.

A morning and afternoon training were opened by Jim Moses, VP of American Airlines and Renee Tufts, Manager Airport Security.  Ron Morgan of AA Security and Eric Ruona of FBI also made opening remarks emphasizing the importance of airport employees awareness of this horrific crime.  Over 100 attendees participated and were inspired, especially by Ms. Donna Hubbard who shared her personal story of surviving human trafficking and now giving back to her community and working as an AA flight attendant.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Trainers included  AA’ers Nancy Rivard, Teresa Garza, Donna Hubbard and Tammy Meade.  Local NGO’s, Nationalities Services Center, Covenant House and Walk Her Home also shared helping to raise awareness of human trafficking to front line employees in Philadelphia. We hope that PHL employees will continue to support these NGO’s and even have a team to participate in the Walk Her Home 5K Walk/Run on October 20th.

Thank you for the opportunity to participate. Program’s such as this are an important part of our security posture here at PHL and the more awareness we can bring to our stakeholders about the various issues our community may face, the better! Thank you and your team for all the hard work you do to get the information out.”   Renee Tufts, C.M. Airport Security Manager, Philadelphia International Airport

 

Airline Ambassadors partnered with the American Association of Airport Executives to provide a full day of training for security personnel at

O’Hare Chicago International Airport for the Chicago Aviation Authority.  Security personnel participated in real life scenarios that have actually happened in trafficking cases at airports.   Trainers Nancy Rivard, Shamere McKenzie and Andrea Hobart led the class and Teresa Garza, David Rivard and Brian O”Riley observed as well as Laura Ng from local NGO Break Free.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Shamere McKenzie, founder of SunGate Foundation is a survivor of human trafficking and experienced trainer.  She trained with Airline Ambassadors in Jamaica last year and last month Shamere was named the Anti Human Trafficking  Ambassador for the country of Jamaica!

This was AAI’s first training with the American Association of Airport Executives.

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17 Aug 2018

WanderSafe!

“We are thrilled to partner with WanderSafe as our work is all about travel, and helping vulnerable children world wide.  This partnership allows us to share real innovations for keeping our members and all travelers safe!” Nancy Rivard, President, Airline Ambassadors.  See video below:

Knowledge is still POWER

WanderSafe Personal Safety Device Indiegogo from Mighty Media Group on Vimeo.

Everybody wants to be free. Free to discover new parks, neighborhoods, restaurants. Our mission is to enable everyone on the planet to have that freedom by providing safety information that allows you to know before you go, and contribute your experiences to assist the future journeys of others. The WanderSafe application allows you to share where you are and what is safe, and see what others have pinned in their neighborhoods that is displayed in an easy to view unique mapping interface. WanderSafe will also give you a heads up if you are entering into a new location that may not be ideal leveraging input from other users, police information, and more. The most important source of insight though is YOU!  See this video  

Your input helps others WanderSafe.

Nov. 13,2018 Wandersafe highlighted in Business Insider

International travel inspired this Australian tech entrepreneur to design a device that helps keep women safe — and now the world is buying it
WANDERSAFE WILL PROVIDE ME WITH RELEVANT SAFETY & LOCATION INFORMATION THAT MAKES ALL THE DIFFERENCE AS A SOLO BUSINESS TRAVELER.”
— ANETTE A., SAN DIEGO

Together, we’re creating freedom.

WanderSafe is an application developed by the JOZU for WOMEN team. It is a natural extension of the JOZU for Women ecosystem. This application is purpose-built to deliver dynamic location-based safety information in real time. Our mission is to make WanderSafe an essential part of everyone’s daily journey and provide you with the ability to roam freely, and safely.

WanderSafe is unlike anything you’ve ever seen. Our platform includes a location-aware mobile app and a personal safety device with features proven to deter altercations. Our entire offer and development are thoughtfully developed with seasoned engineers, our developers, our product team, our brand ambassadors and our Safety Expert in Residence, retired CIA Security Executive, Thomas Pecora

WanderSafe Personal Safety Device Indiegogo from Mighty Media Group on Vimeo.

CONGRATULATIONS to AAI Trainer, Shamere McKenzie was named a Human Trafficking Ambassador for the country of Jamaica on July 25, 2018 by the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Justice, Carol Palmer.  See full story here. 

The event was organised by the National Task Force Against Trafficking in Persons  on July 25 at the Meliá Braco Hotel.

Mrs. Palmer said that the Global Slavery Index is estimating that the slavery population is more than 40 million and victims from at least 27 countries have been found across 137 states  “No country is spared; no border is safe,” she noted.  “All of us must get out of our comfort zone and do what we can in our sphere to make this a past activity,” Mrs. Palmer said.

The opening ceremony included the sashing of the island’s first-ever Human Trafficking Ambassadors, Miss Jamaica World 2017, Solange Sinclair; & Founder of SunGate Foundation and human trafficking survivor, Shamere McKenzie, who also delivered the keynote address.

A moment of silence was observed as well as the symbolic turning on of the Blue Lights to represent solidarity with victims of human trafficking.

See the post from her website:

SHAMERE MCKENZIE
Survivor of Modern Day Slavery

Hello Friend:

I have some exciting news I want to share with you.

Shamere McKenzie Human Trafficking Ambassador for Jamaica

On July 25-26, 2018, Jamaica’s National Task Force Against Trafficking in Persons (NATFATIP) hosted the first forum of its kind to be convened in the Caribbean – “The Hard Road to Recovery: From Victim to Survivor”.  The inaugural international conference was held at the Melia Braco Village Hotel in Trelawny, Jamaica.

The main objectives of the conference were to:

  • Increase public awareness to discourage these activities and to warn those who are unaware.
  • Train officials throughout the public and private sectors on identifying victims of trafficking.
  • Build capacities through legislation and institutional strengthening.

“The opening ceremony included the sashing of the island’s first-ever Human Trafficking Ambassadors, Miss Jamaica World 2017, Solange Sinclair, and Founder of The Sun Gate Foundation and human trafficking survivor, Shamere McKenzie, who also delivered the keynote address.”

“There can be no more powerful voice than that of a person who has survived and who has recovered to speak to the challenges faced by victims of trafficking on their journey to recovery from the pain and trauma they have experienced. She is one of two ambassadors who have agreed to lend their public image and voice to Jamaica’s national effort to fight against human trafficking.” Carol Palmer, Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Justice.

It is such an honor to serve my country in this capacity. Over the years I have been making strides in the US to combat the issue of human trafficking but deep down I wanted to be involved in my birth country. I have laced up my boot strings, put on my boxing gloves and is ready to join efforts with the NATFATIP and others in Jamaica fighting trafficking.

Other speakers and presenters of the conference include:

  • Hon. Dr. Horace Chang, MP – Minister of National Security
  • Mrs. Carol Palmer, CD, JP, – Chair, NATFATIP
  • Her Excellency Ms. Magorzata Wasilewska – Head of the European Union Delegation to Jamaica
  • Her Excellency Ms. Laurie Peters – Canadian High Commissioner to Jamaica
  • Mr. Mark Seibel – Deputy Chief of Mission, United States Embassy
  • Speakers from Romania, New York, Interpol and others


(Left to right – CEO of Sun Gate Foundation, Shamere McKenzie; Miss Jamaica World 2017 Solange Sinclair and Permanent Secretary to the Ministry of Justice and Chair of NATFATIP, Carol Palmer) 

Shamere McKenzie Educational Scholarship in Jamaica
Earlier this year I did an interview with BBC World Service – Outlook as a follow up from a previous interview I did with my mentor Kevin Bales in the UK.  Following the interview, I was contacted by an official in Malawi, Africa asking to use my name for an educational scholarship in his country. I thought to myself, if there is a Shamere McKenzie scholarship in Africa, there ought to be one in Jamaica.  I reached out to a few people and the timing was perfect.

As a result, I have partnered with the Lasco Chin Foundation to provide the Shamere McKenzie Educational Scholarship to survivors of child sexual abuse and human trafficking. This is a small scholarship as I will be using my personal money to fund the scholarship. Therefore, please let me know if you are interested in partnering with me on this.  This scholarship is part of a bigger initiative that the foundation is doing – the Sustainable Socio-Economic Intervention (SSI) model.

LASCO Chin Foundation is a recently established non-profit organization with a mission of early intervention to help Jamaica’s at-risk youth develop the relationships, goals and capacities needed to break the cycle of poverty and crime and become productive members of society, especially as successful entrepreneurs. In pursuit of this mission, they  have designed a Sustainable Socio-Economic Intervention (SSI) model© intended to break the cycle of poverty and crime for the most disenfranchised youth living in the most troubled communities.

In September 2018, they will pilot the SSI Scholarship Program which will target high school students in a specific community and provide a comprehensive set of supporting interventions to assist them in school, at home and in their community, including, but not limited to:

  • Financial support, to cover school fees; books and school supplies; school uniform, shoes and physical education gears; transportation needs; computing needs; extracurricular activities and extra lessons to meet the needs and career goals of the targeted student (to be determined on an individual basis);
  • Nutritional support, to ensure the student has adequate food during their tenure at school;
  • Parental support, including entrepreneurship assistance for parents/guardians where needed;
  • Professional mentorship support, providing 1:1 extended supportive relationships using qualified professionals, including social workers, psychologists and educational professionals as needed; and
  • Community support, from a network of community resources.

The official launch will take place in November in Florida and will include several dignitaries from Jamaica; CEO of the Lasco Chin Foundation, Dr. Rosalie Hamilton; Founder of Lasco Chin Foundation Lasalle Chin and myself.  This event is open to the public so if you are interested in being a part of the celebration or being in part of the SSI model, please let me know and I will connect you.

Please be reminded that I am available for consulting, training and speaking events. A percentage of my honorarium and speaker fees will go towards the Shamere McKenzie Educational Scholarship in Jamaica.

Once again, thank you for your continued support and investing in survivors of human trafficking.

Kindest Regards,

Shamere McKenzie
Chief Executive Officer 
Sun Gate Foundation

We are grateful to American Airlines our # 1 Sponsor, for providing a full page ad in American Way in flight magazine to be seen by millions of passengers this October.   American Airlines signed the ECPAT Code of Conduct last year making public their determination to combat Modern Day Slavery.

We applaud their commitment. (See below a sneak peak at the ad)

Thanks for support with ad design to Stuart Itkin and Kaarina Mackenzie of Athena Global Advisors.

 

See these news stories on July 27 crediting flight attendants on Hawaiian Air for saving three victims of human trafficking!

Although this turned out not to be trafficking, we salute their alertness. 

Flight attendants report suspicious incident on Honolulu flight | TheHill

No charges filed in case of suspected human trafficking on board …

 Hawaiian Airlines has updated its blog post that claimed three flight attendants helped tostop a human trafficking case on a flight to Honolulu.

The three Hawaiian Airlines flight attendants that helped stop this human traffickingcase. HONOLULU (KITV) -. A man suspected of human …

UPDATE: Hawaiian Airlines flight attendants save girls from huma …

www.kitv.com/…/update-hawaiian-airlines-flight-attendants-save-girls-from-human-traff…

The three Hawaiian Airlines flight attendants that helped stop this human … traffickingwas under investigation after a Hawaiian Airlines flight …

Flight attendants save apparent human trafficking victims

Hawaiian flight attendants help stop alleged human trafficking | RNZ …

Flight attendants save girls from apparent human trafficking on L.A.-to …

Flight attendants help stop alleged human trafficking en route to Hawaii

 Honolulu, HAWAII — Three Hawaiian Airlines flight attendants are being credited with saving three girls from an apparent case of human .

Beloved Ina Melen – one of Airline Ambassadors stars passed away suddenly and will be dearly missed.  Ina was a true Ambassador of Goodwill and a delight to everyone who met her.  She promoted Airline Ambassadors in Boston and around the world. She brightened the lives of orphans in Colombia and volunteered regularly for our Children’s Medical Escort program. Anyone who knew Ina was touched by her enthusiasm, love for life, impeccable grooming  and pride in being an American Airlines flight attendant..   We are dedicating our next mission to South Africa in her name – and bringing her spirit with us. Below is her obituary in the Boston Globe.

INA MELEN, Ina S. Of Newton, on July 15, 2018. Beloved wife of Ralph Melen. Devoted mother of Debra Fields and her husband Elwyn, Nathan Melen and his wife Shana. Loving grandmother of Matthew and Hannah Fields, and Daisy Melen. Dear sister of Fred Butt. Ina was very much a career woman. Before her marriage to Ralph, she was a stewardess with the former Northeast Airlines. With marriage forcing retirement from that position, she married Ralph, mothered two children and continued in the business field working for Polaroid in marketing, following which she became a promotional advocate for Estee Lauder. After guiding her children through college and with her continued interest in flying, Ina joined American Airlines as a flight attendant for 23 years, retiring in 2013. Ina loved fashion and relations with people, so those work connections certainly accommodated that passion. Family, friends and passion tell Ina’s life in its simplest sense.

Services at Temple Beth Shalom, 670 Highland Ave., on Wednesday, July 18, 2018 at 10 am. Interment at Congregation Shirat Hayam Cemetery of the North Shore, Temple Beth El Section, 506 Lowell St., Peabody, MA.

Memorial observance will be at the home of Debra and Elwyn Fields, Wednesday 3-8 pm and Thursday 2-4 & 7-9 pm.

In lieu of flowers, remembrances may be made to Temple Beth Shalom, or Airline Ambassadors International,www.airlineamb.org.

 

An empty seat by the aisle.

The confused look in the light-blue eyes of a young woman.

Imaginary clothes drawn with a red marking pen on the frail body of a three-year-old.

The slight shiver of the teenage girl in the boarding line at the gate.

Cupped hands upraised to the sky.

A bruise on a cheek.

They all tell a story.

A tale of anguish and pain, endurance & hope and every one of us can play a part.

All these stories are a cry for help, coming from people experiencing intolerable levels of hardship all over the world. Some of them are victims of starvation, war, and natural disasters. Others, of sex trafficking. We can lend them a helping hand unconditionally. We can help at least one of the millions of children who are hungry, cold, and have no access to clean water or education. We can learn about the indicators of human trafficking, recognize, and report them. We can match our unique interests and skills to human need. We can make a difference when we travel.

That’s what Nancy Rivard has been doing since 1986 when she founded the Airline Ambassadors. After her father suddenly passed away on Christmas Eve, she found out at only twenty-nine, that loving one another and being of service is what ultimately makes life worth living. It became the young flight attendant’s life purpose — and made her unstoppable.

Her contagious enthusiasm, courage, and dedication to making a positive impact in the world eventually won over other flight attendants, airport employees, some of the big players in the airline industry, the U.N., and people like you. For them, Nancy Rivard is more than the founder of a successful non-profit organization dedicated to providing assistance to children worldwide and putting a stop to human trafficking. She is a trailblazer for the extraordinary impact ordinary people can make in the world by talking less, doing more and bringing love into action.

“Wings of Love” is the next chapter to be written in the Airline Ambassadors history. This memoir based on Nancy Rivard’s odyssey of self-discovery is meant to inspire and empower people from around the world.  Men and women, young and older people alike can take a step forward towards their soul, find their life purpose and fulfill it — by being of service. Nancy opens up her heart and reveals the good and bad, the happy moments and heartbreaking challenges, the unexpected traps, and powerful lessons. At a time where the mass media portrays the world as a place of hatred and separation, “Wings of Love” makes a case for kindness, compassion, and generosity as inherent features of the human soul.  How? By our inter-connectedness and power to change the world through caring for one another.

Yet, “Wings of Love” is more than just a life-changing book that will inspire you to embark on a profound search for meaning and ask yourself the essential question, “How can I serve?” The book’s earnings will give wings to more humanitarian missions and help the organization reach new territories with airline industry-specific training programs on human trafficking awareness.

For all this to happen, for us to release the book in 2018 and make a bigger and better positive impact in the world, we need your support. We need to raise funds to make “Wings of Love” an outstanding, high-quality book available in digital, print and audio formats, translate it in several languages and implement a global promotion campaign so that we build a tidal wave of goodwill on this planet.

Any contribution, even the smallest one, can help. We can do this together. Thank you for joining us in bringing love into action and “Wings of Love” on the bookshelves.  THANK YOU!

This campaign was generously funded by Ronda Coallier

Donate today and be a part of the collective voice determined to end human trafficking and bring safety to children around the world. 

Wings of Love  Book Description

What is the path to happiness, true love, and fulfillment? For Nancy Rivard, the founder of the internationally acclaimed non-profit organization Airline Ambassadors and the 2017 recipient of Perdita Huston Human Rights Award, it was finding her life purpose. Falling in love with humanity and being of extraordinary service. The twenty-nine-year-old California native had already given up a soaring corporate career as VP of American Airlines to become a flight attendant and travel around the globe when a heart-wrenching event started her on a seven-year search for spiritual meaning.

 

 

 

 

Nancy had miraculous meetings with the great spiritual teachers Sathya Sai Baba and Babaji Francesco Atmananda as well as magical experiences such as a UFO encounter and her first visit to Medjugorje. She’d worked with some of the world’s brightest minds. These experiences eventually revealed the answer to her burning question. She found out that women were not victims, but powerful beings with a sacred mission to restore peace and harmony on our planet. She realized that her life purpose was to meet real need and bring love into action.

Armed with faith, passion, and courage, against all the odds and all alone, she endeavored to make a difference and influence the travel industry, the largest one in the world and help millions of people around the world. It was by following her heart and staying faithful to her calling that Nancy also found true love and her soul partner.

 

 

 

 

 

In this riveting memoir, Nancy Rivard takes you on a fantastic love adventure that spans several decades and continents, from the war-engulfed Bosnia of the 90s to the earthquake-devastated Haiti of the year 2010, passing through hurricane-stricken New Orleans and impoverished El Salvador. She portrays loneliness, sacrifice, betrayal, temptation, danger, and loss as opportunities that made her grow as a human being — from an idealistic (but lost) young woman into the global role model she is today. Nancy also shares one of the most beautiful love stories of the modern times, how it blossomed when she least expected it, and how it endured the test of time, hardships, and separation.

 

 

 

 

 

Nancy Rivard’s journey is your journey. It represents the essential cycle each of us must go through as we move towards self-actualization, expressing our authentic self, and remembering we are love. It will inspire you to follow the promptings of your heart, and ultimately ask yourself the essential question –

“How can I serve?”

Below is a podcast interview with Nancy Rivard on the Wings of Love story

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Brilliant New Video on Air Asia Airlines human trafficking awareness program!  Airline Ambassadors gives them a #1 rating as the most committed airline in combating human slavery!

It was so exciting to help kick off the Air Asia Roadshow in August 2017 to the main four bases for Air Asia Airlines –

Kuala Lumpur – Manila – Jakarta and Bangkok

Air Asia also did an In Flight Magazine Article on our visit!

 

 

 Airlines Denounce Trafficking and commit to Action at the 2018 General Meeting at IATA in Sydney, Australia. Bravo to UNODC Goodwill Ambassador – Mira Sorvino for her statement for the IATA General Meeting June 4, 2018!

We appreciate the support of Tim Colehan and IATA encouraging airlines to educate staff on Human Trafficking Awareness.  Airline cabin crew and staff can be boots on the ground and boots in the air combating this horrific crime. See this link to IATA website

SYDNEY: Airlines are set to step up the fight against human trafficking, global industry body IATA said Monday (Jun 4) as it released guidelines on how crews can act as “eyes and ears” to identify and report suspected cases.

Human trafficking is the world’s fastest-growing criminal industry and the second-largest after the drug trade, according to the US State Department, and there is an increasing push for the aviation industry to take action.

Airlines speed up fight against human trafficking

Airlines want to speed up worldwide the fight against human trade. Indeed, there are already numerous initiatives of single groups, however, up to now a branch-wide beginning has been absent, said Tim Colehan of the international aviation federation (IATA) at the annual federation meeting on Monday in Sydney. The Austrian Airlines supports the decision like one says on APA inquiry.

New guidelines should help the board staff to recognize suspicion cases and to handle after the landing with the victims. The Austrian Airlines helps carry the decision as one said on APA inquiry. ‘ The flight attendants are in a unique position because they sometimes travel many hours together with the passengers ‘, explained Colehan. Therefore they could also discover the smallest signals and Auffälligkeiten. The beginning also intends the vote with airports and criminal proceedings authorities like customs officials and border officials.

Human trafficking is according to US foreign ministry the fastest growing criminal trade of the world and second largest generally after the drug trafficking. According to the office of the United Nations to the fight against drugs and crime fight (UNODC) it comes at 60 percent of human trade for crossing of international borders. Therefore, the pressure on the aviation industry grows.

Indeed, it adds according to Colehan no information about the magnitude of human trade in the aviation branch, however, new laws squeeze all over the world the airlines to train her flight crew especially. International working organization ILO assumes from the fact that nearly 25 million people live in modern slavery. The main routes of human trade run from Africa in the Middle East and south Europe and Western Europe as well as from South Asia in the Middle East, Eastern Asia and the Pacific region.

Airline Ambassadors has been lobbying the airline industry with the importance of their role in prevention. It is exciting to see the support of both government with the ICAO release of Circular 352 at the High Commission on Human Rights, and the support of IATA, the main business association for airlines.

See this piece on AAI’s survivor trainer by Voice of America and other articles on the Eyes Wide Open initiative HERE and

  https://www.forbes.com/sites/danielreed/2018/06/20/airlines-globally-are-signing-up-to-fight-human-trafficking-up-to-60-of-which-involves-air-travel/#521ad50c35ef

 


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