I'm greatly honored to receive this award and even be mentioned in the same breath as Harriet Tubman, Frederick Douglas, and other freedom fighters.
The Orlando Human Trafficking Task Force, which sponsored the event, is a strategic central Florida partnership of law enforcement (local,
state, national), government agencies, schools, non-profits (including
Born2Fly), the faith-based community, safe houses, embassy consulates, and many
others.
It's one of the most effective local coalitions in the U.S. and it's why there are so many arrests of traffickers throughout the
area.
"Be audacious"
At the event, I spoke specifically to young people and encouraged them to be "audacious abolitionists." (Audacious is my new favorite word.) If traffickers are audacious -- and they are -- we have to be even more audacious to stop them.
150 years after the official end of slavery, it's sadly still alive and well right here in the US -- so we still have plenty of work to do.
You know my goal is to work myself out of a job, so thank you for helping me do that.
It's Human Trafficking Awareness Day -- Friday, January 11.
150 years after the official end of slavery, it's still alive and well. In your backyard and mine. Look at these sad statistics:
1.2 million Number of children trafficked each year for sex around the world. (UNICEF)
11 years old Average age of sex workers around the world. Some are as young as 5 years old. (CIA)
100,000 Number of children and young women who are trafficked in the U.S. today. The average age is 11. (FBI/ABC News)
200,000 Number of U.S. children at risk for commercial sexual exploitation. (US Department of Justice)
$9.5 billion Amount of money generated annually by human trafficking. (FBI)
2nd Ranking of human trafficking among all income-generating syndicates (illegal drugs are #1; illegal arms are #3) (Stop the Traffic)
We can change these statistics.
“Given all the power and resources that God has placed in the hands of humankind," writes Gary Haughen, president of International Justice Mission, in his book Terrify No More, "I have yet to see any injustice of humankind that could not also be stopped by humankind."
My goal is to work myself out of a job.
I really don't want to be fighting child trafficking the rest of my life. The only way that will happen is for all of us to work togther to end it now.
Audacious, you say? Yes, it is.
In the words of my fellow abolitionist Rob Morris, director of Love 146, "Ending human trafficking is not idealistic or naive. It is audacious. And it is people of audacity who change the world."
So on this day, 1/11/13, I ask you to be audacious.
Be a world-changer.
Dream big dreams that are so beyond you that only God can help you accomplish them.
Work to stop human trafficking in your city.
If we all do that, we won't have to have a Human Trafficking Awareness Day ever again.
* * *
To learn what The Born2Fly Project is doing to stop child trafficking, visit www.born2fly.org.
I can barely keep up with my inbox--and I couldn't be happier.
As of today, more than 140 organizations in 50+ countries have registered to receive our Born2Fly anti-trafficking curriculum and wordless book. Their registrations pop up in my inbox; once I approve them (and make
sure they're not traffickers themselves), I send them a password to
download the materials without charge.
We ask these partner organizations to estimate how many kids they'll teach B2F to, and the conservative estimate is 70,000 kids!
That number could go up dramatically because one organization in South Africa is already in 6,500 schools, so that could easily add thousands more children!
Pretty cool to know we'll get to those kids before the traffickers do.
These organizations are from Australia, Bangladesh, Cambodia, Canada, China, Costa Rica, England, Fiji, Ghana, Greece, Haiti, India, Ireland, Kazakstan, Kenya, Laos, Liberia, Lithuania, Malaysia, Moldova, Nepal, Philippines, Rwanda, Ukraine, the US, Vietnam, and many other countries.
Here's what they're telling us:
Kenya: "There's daily news of the sudden disappearance of school children. Trafficking is rampant. We'll teach Born2Fly to 1,500 rural children."
Kazakstan, Ukraine, Moldova: "Trafficking among teens is very high here. We'll teach B2F to 1,000s of teens from November 2012 thru June 2015."
Philippines: "We have 85 free kindergartens for poorest of the poor kids—below poverty level so they are very vulnerable. We'd teach B2F to them—2,000 kids."
Togo: "The zone where we minister is very exposed to child trafficking. We'll teach B2F to 200 children as soon as we receive the materials."
South Africa: "In our area there's enormous amount of trafficking especially young teens trafficked from rural areas to urban cities with the promise of a better life. They end up being prostituted locally and abroad. We speak to 10,000 students a year and could teach B2F to them."
Thailand: "We'll teach the B2F anti-trafficking program to 300 children ages 10-16." // Note from Diana: This is a safehouse that pilot-tested B2F for us last year. Now they're reaching out to their community.
Philippines: "We feed at least 100 street people a day. We will teach Born2Fly anti-trafficking program on the streets where the people are."
US: "Our city is very slow to respond [to awareness & prevention]. We need this program!"
Philippines: "We're building a safehouse for cybersexually abused girls ages 1-12 and trafficked girls usually sold by parents and relatives and can teach B2F to them."
Ghana: "An estimated 7,000-27,000 children (no one
knows for sure) are trafficked in Ghana for fishing and agriculture. We
desperately need curriculum for them."
Haiti: "We're planning a 2-day conference in September
on the rights of children and the child servitude problem here. Your
materials will be helpful."
US: "We are a group home in the US that works with teen girls. We deal with many issues including trafficked girls and can teach B2F to them."
India: "We want to raise awareness about child trafficking here and warn all those involved that we will not allow this to go on!"
Malaysia: "We provide awareness to kids and parents. Kids have been kidnapped and killed after a few months and some even disappeared with no news of them."
Philippines: "Our city is destination, source and
transit city for trafficked children. We work with street kids every
Saturday. We’ll teach B2F to 800 kids."
Pretty exciting, huh? Whoops, gotta go. Three more registrations just popped up in my inbox...
Our expanded website is now live! All the Born2Fly anti-trafficking materials are uploaded on it.
Organizations around the world have begun to download our curriculum, wordless book, and more--all absolutely free.
Yup, I'm pretty excited about it!
Here's what they're telling us:
South Africa:
"We are the national coalition of counter-trafficking organisations in South Africa. Trafficking is rife country-wide involving foreign and local victims and perpetrators...We hope B2F will help us raise awareness about human trafficking so that the children know how to protect themselves...You guys are doing amazing work; keep it up!"
Australia:
"[We expect B2F will] give our children a 'heads up' in a way that doesn't frighten them, giving them some options for situations they might otherwise be unprepared for."
US:
"I'm a freshman in college studying nursing. My goal is to become a gynecological nurse and help girls saved from trafficking. Not only do I want to provide medical support, I want to learn how to provide for their mental, emotional, and spiritual needs."
Kenya:
"We have a home for orphans with 32 children and 10 more on the way. I want to educate our children on human trafficking before it's too late."
England:
"We're experiencing a growth in trafficking of Roma children for petty crime and prostitution and also internal trafficking of young girls. We hope B2F will help us empower young people to resist exploitation."
In addition to these countries, B2F is also headed to Australia, Cambodia, Costa Rica, England, Greece, India, Ireland, Malaysia, Ukraine, Vietnam, and more. And we're already in Bulgaria, the Dominican Republic, the Philippines, Russia, and Thailand.
If you know someone who works with children, please tell them about our B2F trafficking prevention program. Just send them to www.born2fly.org where they can register to download the materials without charge. Once we approve their request, we'll send them a password so they can download whatever they need.
And of course if you want to see them, just go to that same site and register.
Free but not cheap
We give away our anti-trafficking materials without charge. Most organizations working with kids around the world couldn't afford to pay anyway. So we give them away freely--and rely on the generosity of donors (that would be you!) so that we can continue doing this.
If you'd like to keep these materials going around the world protecting kids from trafficking, just click here to make an instant tax-deductible donation.
Remember, our goal is to cut off the supply line of kids. Awareness training is the best way to do this.
Thank you for partnering with us as we educate children in more and more countries every month. You really are helping us reach kids before the traffickers do.
4th annual Human Trafficking Awareness Day Free event Saturday, January 28, 2012 12:00 - 4:00 pm
Lake Eola -- Walt Disney Amphitheater 101 N. Rosalind Ave., Orlando, FL. 32801 Map Facebook
FREE finger printing & picture I.D. for children - Child Rescue
Educational games and activities for children - Releasing
Anti-Human Trafficking booths - Domestic & International
Memory Exhibit - "Where are all the missing children &
Guest speakers & abolitionists sharing their stories &
NEW - Freedom Walk (around Lake
Raffle
Stand with those ending
Live entertainment, food vendors, fair trade vendors, and MUCH more
Last year more than 1,000 people attended. This free event is presented in partnership with the Department of Homeland Security Blue Campaign, City of Orlando, the Orlando Rescue & Restore Coalition, non-profits combating human trafficking, and many others.
If you live in central Florida and want to know more about human trafficking -- and how to stop it -- this is the place to be.
Each year more than 1 million kids get lured into trafficking all over the world, including in the U.S. Some of them are just 5 years old.
If you read this blog regularly, you know that The Born2Fly Project to stop child trafficking is smack in the middle of pilot-testing our innovative program to reach kids before the traffickers do.
Now we're hoping to fund expansion of the program through sales of a new ebook for kids:
It's a delightful tale about what it takes to pursue your dream. I like to say it's a novel for children--and adults who can still think like children.
Born to Fly costs just $5.99. What a deal, huh? And proceeds go to The Born2Fly Project to stop child trafficking.
Blossom shows kids how to go after their dreams
OK, so I'm biased, but Born to Fly is one of the cutest children's books you'll ever read. Here's a little teaser on the plot:
Blossom is in big trouble. Her grandfather warned her not to go beyond the village gates. After all, no caterpillar in Twig Valley has ever ventured there and returned to tell.
For centuries the caterpillars of Twig Valley have lived with a Dark Cloud over the land. For as long as anyone can remember, no caterpillar has ever become a butterfly. In fact, no one thinks about being anything more than a bug that crawls in the dust of the ground.
And remember, proceeds go to The Born2Fly Project to stop child trafficking.
Give a gift for Christmas or Hanukkah
If you know a child who likes to dream big, you can give Born to Fly for Christmas or Hanukkah. Just click the "give a gift" tab on each of the bookstore sites to send a gift ebook.
One more thing...Blossom has her very own Facebook page, so please be her fan, okay? She'll be thrilled. And maybe she'll tell you what in the world she's doing in this picture:
Проект «Рожден летать» - остановим торговлю детьми
Диана Скимон, Карен Армистед, Джорджия Ана Ларсон
Can you guess what it is? It's the cover of the Russian translation of the Born2Fly anti-trafficking curriculum--our very 1st translation!
In case your Russian is a little rusty, it says:
CURRICULUM AND LEADER'S GUIDE
The Born to Fly Project to stop child trafficking
By Diana Scimone, Karen Armistead, and Georgia Ana Larson
Pretty exciting, huh? This week Russia joins our test phase as we begin testing B2F at 3 orphanages there (more details here).
Orphans everywhere are extremely high-risk for trafficking, particularly when they age-out of the system. Once they reach 18, they're on their own--and traffickers are all too willing to befriend them.
Remember, you can sell a bag of drugs once but you can sell a child over and over again. That's why organized crime is so involved in child trafficking.
Here's what the Russian director of the group we're partnering with told me:
"It's a relational luring. These kids are easy prey because they're not educated well and [when they leave the orphanage] they're looking for ways to live independently.
"Criminal groups exist in Russia [that are involved in human trafficking] and orphans are extremely high risk.
"Kids with families have a support group that will say, 'Who is this person who's befriended you? Let's check him out. Did you ask him this or that?' Orphans don't have anyone to stand up for them or protect them or even be interested in what's going on."
The team that's test-teaching B2F in Russia is serving as that support group for these older orphans. They'll train them in the B2F program so that they can go back to the orphanages and teach B2F to the younger kids.
That's the model we've built into the B2F curriculum: Trusted adults teach B2F to "junior teachers," who in turn help teach the younger kids. That way the junior teachers learn the material and also learn a skill (teaching).
Our goal is to compile all the feedback from the tests in Russia, Bulgaria (complete), Thailand and the Philippines (going on now). We'll tweak the curriculum and by early next year begin printing and distributing it all over the world along with the companion wordless book.
Thanks for sticking with us through the process and helping us reach kids before the traffickers do.
I think I should get Blossom a frequent flyer account. All summer she's been in Bulgaria and Thailand, this month she heads to Russia, and surprise, surprise, she's also been in the Philippines.
Blossom is the main character in the Born2Fly anti-trafficking curriculum and wordless book. We've been testing the materials all over the world to teach kids about the lies traffickers tell and how to stand up to them.
Last spring an NGO in the Philippines emailed me to ask if they could be one of the test places.
Their local school district had already given them permission to teach anti-trafficking in the schools and they were about to write their own curriculum when they found out about ours.
Could they use it? Of course!
We had a few emails back and forth, and then I never heard from them. (This often happens with emails lost in cyberspace, as you know.)
So imagine my delight to receive an email from them this week that the tests have already begun!
Here's what the director wrote:
We have finished the first trial in the Philippines. [It was a small group setting] and allowed us a platform to trial it, along with getting familiar with the program and also train our staff.
Our next trial begins the last week of September and will be right here in our village with children who are 10-12 years of age. The following trial will be in November in a tribal village where the Datu or chief will be assisting us.
We have taken these trials very seriously and debriefed after every session. We want to give you a picture of how it will work in a variety of settings, with a variety of languages.
In addition to that I am almost finished the massive task of registering the program with the government department, which will certainly make the job easier for anyone else wanting to run the program in schools.
Really wonderful, isn't it? I'll let you know how it goes.
We're so grateful to all the people helping with these tests for the time and effort they're putting in to them. Their input will help thousands of others who use the materials after them--and countless children will never be trafficked as a result.
We've gotten the first feedback from Bulgaria from our beta test of the Born2Fly Project to stop child trafficking--and it's fantastic!
Below is what the teacher wrote us. (She's Bulgarian, and her English is a lot better than my Bulgarian.)
You can imagine how thrilled I am to get this glowing report after 5 years of work on this project. Enjoy it as you read it and see the pictures of these kids, knowing that many of them will be saved from being trafficked because of Born2Fly. Thank you for making this all possible.
* * *
From the teacher:
"I taught three lessons on the Born2fly book between 07.18.11 – 07.21.11 in children camp “Heaven."
"I emphasized on the basic idea – to protect the children from child trafficking but at the same time I tried to help the children to start thinking about:
What is choice? How our mistakes can hurt the others and what is the price we pay when we do a mistake?
How can we ask for wisdom when we have to make a decision?
Why sometimes the fruits of our mistakes are so bitter? (Example: cutting down the moon trees and the decision Blossom made to leave the village when she wasn’t prepared yet)
Why do we have to take our time when we have to make an important decision? What do we gain when we sacrifice from our time on it?
How to recognize your real friends? What do our real friends do when we are in trouble? (support us, help us, let us know they are there for us)
What is a dream? Why do the dream thieves are trying to take our dreams and future?
Why do we have to be patient and work hard for our dreams?
Why waiting is so hard?
What does the school give us? – knowledge, preparation, skills. It’s more difficult for someone to trick you if you have all that. The school teaches us how to live a safe life.
"The second lesson I taught was with older campers. We talked about:
The value system of a young person and what are their goals in life.
We talked about the dream thieves – how they may look (good, attractive), what may they offer us (money, easy life, etc.), what they may want in return; why they want to steal our dreams (future)?
We discuss that a dream thief may an idol in our life like – expensive things, modern technologies, even close friends whom we trust too much, different addictions, etc.
The common thing about all of the above is their purpose – to steal our dream, our future, our life. That’s why the tree in the prison where Blossom is kept is ugly and dead.
We talked about the good friends we have – people who want to give, not to receive. The children were making very smart comments.
"At the end I gave them paper where they were able to write down their dreams. The children think positively and dream beautiful dreams.
"I think that the message of the book worked well and provoked them to be more careful for the dangers in their lives and to know what has real worth. It’s another stage in our prevention work against the evil in this world."
Yesterday was Independence Day in the US…and also hopefully the start of independence for a group of orphans and other at-risk kids in Bulgaria who will never be lured into child trafficking because of a summer camp they started on July 4.
Part of their daily activities? Swimming, crafts, and oh yeah, learning how to stand up to traffickers--via The Born2Fly Project to stop child trafficking.
About 140-200 kids come to this 6-week summer camp near the Black Sea. The kids are 7-15 years old.
"The Born2Fly wordless book and curriculum will be so helpful for our children at summer camp and in all the surrounding villages and towns," the director of the organization we're partnering with in Bulgaria told me.
The Black Sea is a prime tourist area in eastern Europe and “we know there’s so much damage and abuse here," she added. "Your books will be a big help to us.”
In most of the world, human trafficking is the #2 highest-grossing illegal industry (after illegal drugs). But in eastern Europe—including Bulgaria—it’s #1. Kids, particularly orphans, are regularly lured into child trafficking from which there is almost no escape.
So this is a very strategic place to test the B2F anti-trafficking materials.
I’ll share more information and hopefully pictures as soon as we get them.
Meanwhile if you'd like to donate to Born2Fly to help us continue our critical work of reaching kids before the traffickers do, just click here.
Great news: We're expanding the test phase of the Born2Fly Project to stop child trafficking. Many of the organizations around the world that I wrote about here have agreed to test the anti-trafficking curriculum and wordless book in their countries.
So far we have commitments from Bulgaria to teach B2F at a summer camp for kids. Child trafficking is huge in eastern Europe, so this is a great place to reach kids before the traffickers do.
And the safe house in northern Thailand that I wrote about here will also test the materials this summer. This is where the "black van...goes around neighborhoods stealing children."
In the Philippines, an organization will be testing B2F at one school in a city and another in a tribal area. This group has been working with schools and government offices to set up a anti-trafficking education program. They already have access to every high school in the region and have been meeting with a number of governors and mayors to expand the program. They were ready to design a curriculum when they heard about B2F and asked us if they could use it for trafficking prevention in their area.
We're also waiting to hear from organizations working in Cambodia, Ethiopia, Haiti, and Guatemala that have expressed interest in testing B2F in those countries. They'll let us know within the next month.
Meanwhile here's a mom (left) in the Dominican Republic "reading" the Born2Fly wordless book with her daughter.
Yes, the mom is young! She had her daughter when she was 14. She's now a community health care worker and also teaches kindergarten. Her story is a remarkable one in itself, and she wants a much better life for her girls than she has had.
This mom and 6 other community health team members are trial teaching the B2F materials to their own children. Child trafficking is a real problem throughout the DR and these moms are teaching their kids how to spot traffickers and avoid being enslaved.
Here's an email I recently received from the director of a safe house I visited in Asia a few years ago:
I've read your recent note about your Born2Fly materials being ready to distribute. I'm so eager to get them to use with our children.
As I was putting P, one of our children, to bed one night, he started telling me about the "black van" that goes around neighborhoods stealing children. The teachers have cautioned them to be careful.
P said, "Mom, I know to be careful but what about N? He's only 2. He doesn't know any better."
I believe our children are ready for your materials and that they can be instrumental in stopping child trafficking here in Asia. Please don't forget us!
I can never forget those children. Because of your generosity, we are very near the day when we can begin responding to requests such as these and send them the Born2Fly materials.
If you'd like to donate to help us reach that day, you can do so here.
Thank you for helping us reach kids before the traffickers do.
PS: Yes, children as young as this girl are trafficked.
"You may choose to look the other way, but you can never again say you did not know."
"I'd rather not know."
Those two statements were spoken more than 200 years apart. The first was spoken in 1789 by William Wilberforce, who singlehandedly took on the slave trade of the British empire--and helped to end it in spite of all odds.
The second statement was spoken by someone I talked with recently.
I told her why I launched the Born2Fly Project to help stop child trafficking. I told her some of the stories of children who are forced into modern-day slavery (aka child trafficking). Her response was, "I'd rather not know."
Our goal with B2F is to help children and parents all over the world become aware of the dangers of child trafficking--but it's also to help you and me become aware. Sorry, but I don't want us to ever be able to say, "I did not know."
In the 5 years since I've been working on the B2F Project--which is now being tested in the Dominican Republic--I've met children and young teenage girls who've been bought and sold like farm animals. Their faces are fresh in my mind. Should I tell them, "I'd rather not know your story"?
I don't think so.
I'm a reporter, and my job--my mission--is to report what I hear and see. And if you read this blog, you'll hear and see, too. The stories aren't pretty, but I suspect you don't want to live in ignorance.
Meanwhile, if you'd like to learn more about child trafficking and how to stop it, watch this 3-minute video, "Get Angry. Please."
...Be part of Human Trafficking Awareness Day, that is. That day is today -- 1/11/11. Here are some sad facts about why we need such an event:
1.2 million Number of children trafficked each year for sex around the world. (UNICEF)
11 Average age of sex workers around the world. Some are as young as 5 years old. (CIA)
100,000 Number of children and young women who are trafficked in America today. They range in age from 9 to 19, with the average age being 11. (FBI/ABC News)
200,000 Number of U.S. children at risk for commercial sexual exploitation. (US Department of Justice)
$9.5 billion Amount of money generated annually by human trafficking. (FBI)
2nd Ranking of human trafficking among all income-generating syndicates (illegal drugs are #1; illegal arms are #3) (Stop the Traffic)
We can change these statistics.
“Given all the power and resources that God has placed in the hands of humankind," writes Gary Haughen, president of International Justice Mission, in his book Terrify No More, "I have yet to see any injustice of humankind that could not also be stopped by humankind."
My goal is to work myself out of a job.
I really don't want to be fighting this horror the rest of my life. The only way that will happen is for all of us to work togther to end it now.
Audacious, you say? Yes, it is. In the words of my fellow abolitionist Rob Morris, director of Love 146, "Ending human trafficking is not idealistic or naive. It is audacious. And it is people of audacity who change the world."
So on this day, 1/1/11, I ask you to be a world-changer and work to stop human trafficking in your city. If we all do that, we won't have to have a Human Trafficking Awareness Day ever again.
* * *
To learn what The Born2Fly Project is doing to stop child trafficking, visit www.born2fly.org.
Here's a guest post I wrote for Safe4Women about how I first learned about child trafficking: The Day My Life Changed.
UPDATE: We're sold out! We're so sorry, but watch for more events!
4-course afternoon tea for adults and children To benefit The Born2Fly Project to stop child trafficking
Featuring beautiful jewelry made by women and girls rescued from human trafficking
Sat., Dec. 11, 2010 2:00 pm The Garden Gate Tea Room 142 East 4th Avenue, Mount Dora, FL 32757 (just outside Orlando) map
Advance: $25 adults, $15 children under 12. Limited seating available so please reserve today.
Menu ~Petite salmon soufflé salad ~Butterfly sorbet ~3-tiered tray of afternoon tea sandwiches ~3-tiered tray of desserts including scones with Devonshire cream and jam ~Pot of hot tea or sugar-rimmed iced tea ~Special butterfly-themed menu for children
Featuring ~Butterfly Project jewelry made by women and girls rescued from human trafficking ~Fashion show of international costumes ~Gift bags and silent auction ~Lots more surprises!
Each year millions of women and girls are sold into sex slavery around the world including in the US. A small percentage are rescued and support themselves and the shelters where they live by creating beautiful jewelry and other handmade products.
The Butterfly Project markets this wonderful jewelry in the US to support rescued women and girls and the shelters where they live. On December 11, you can purchase this special jewelry (think Christmas and Hanukkah gifts!) at this fun event co-sponsored by The Born2Fly Project to stop child trafficking and The Butterfly Project. Limited seats are available and we expect to sell out, so please don't delay. Reserve today!
For more information: The Born2Fly Project to stop child trafficking, Diana Scimone, diana@born2fly.org. The Butterfly Project, Jané Gautier~Shadoin, gautieronfire@gmail.com
Model wearing jewelry from The Butterfly Project made by women and girls rescued from human trafficking:
Jané Gautier~Shadoin, director of The Butterfly Project, with jewelry at the Garden Gate Tea Room:
There's limited seating available for this special event, so reserve your spot today!
UPDATE: American Eagle's inflight magazine, Latitudes, has an article about the Butterfly Tea Party in their December issue. You can read it here.
"We know what you're doing and we're not going to let you have our children!"
Imagine a group of women going door-to-door inviting their neighbors to a community gathering to stop child trafficking.
That's exactly what happened last week in the Dominican Republic. A group of brave women who are passionate about stopping the child trafficking that's happening all around them took the lead in inviting people to the 1st-ever Born2Fly community rally.
It's all in preparation for the 6-week B2F campaign to educate kids, teens, parents, and the entire community about how to stand up to traffickers. What a great way for these brave women to serve notice to the traffickers that their time is up.
Words I've longed to say for 5 years:
Last week they translated some of the B2F materials into Spanish and trained the leaders who'll teach the teenagers and younger kids. Today the actual training begins--after 5 years of working on this project!
Here's more from one of the coordinators:
We'll start with two groups of older kids (one an after-school boys' group and the other a typing class for girls who also do an outside study project together and then practice their typing about it) and the women's group who will promote the B2F Project in the community.
The women are very excited about getting their hands on the B2F anti-trafficking materials so they can reinforce this information with their children and neighbors.
The B2F Project will get started in an area on the edge of Santo Domingo, the capital city, in 2 towns called Cielo and Nazarete.
The plans are to extend the women's group campaign into Los Alcarrizos, a larger city just a few kilometers to the west where many of these families have relatives. Several of the women are already concerned about Los Alcarrizos. There is quite a large prostitution circle there [which means girls and women are being trafficked].
When some of the leaders are well trained in B2F in the smaller settings, I'd like to see them teach it in Los Alcarrizos and also among the street kids who live in the garbage dumps and under the bridges inside Santo Domingo.
What a great need for these strategic materials!
Once we complete the test program in the Dominican Republic, we'll make necessary adjustments and send The B2F Project to groups all over the world who've heard about what we've written and are not-too-patiently waiting for copies of everything.
You've made this success story possible through your donations, prayers, and words of encouragement. Thank you for helping us keep thousands of kids, teens, and even adults from the dark world of trafficking simply by reaching them before the traffickers do.
Want to see a sample of the entire B2F Project, including the cover of the wordless book? Just click here.
You tweeted, you emailed, you blogged, you told people about the Twitterthon--and you donated. Here's what you helped us raise to stop child trafficking:
Donations via ChipIn: $3,789.88 Donations via other PayPal: 1,250.00 Donations via check: 1,295.00 TOTAL: $6,334.88
Even though it's not 10/10/10 anymore, you can still donate to help stop child trafficking. Just go to www.born2fly.org. Or mail your donation to "Born to Fly International, Inc.," PO Box 952949, Lake Mary FL 32794. Born to Fly International is a 501c3 non-profit organization and your donation is tax deductible in the US.
Thank you for your generosity as together we work to reach children before the traffickers do.
6 days and counting to the 10/10/10 Twitterthon to stop child trafficking! Our goal is 10,000 people giving $10 each on 10/10/10. All the funds go to the Born2Fly Project to stop child trafficking
We're moving forward on plans to test the B2F anti-trafficking curriculum and wordless book in the Dominican Republic in just a few weeks. Here's an update I received today from the educator organizing it:
I'm meeting on Wednesday with some of the people who'll be delivering the curriculum to the teaching teams in the D.R. next week.
All is looking good for delivery and implementation. I'll keep you advised as things progress.
My daughter is going down on a medical/dental project on the 16th and will be able to see the first B2F community rally--which may be more like a door-to-door march by a women's group.
If they design a t-shirt to go with the B2F groups, I'll get you a copy. This is all in the works and dependent upon stretching the finances.
They're going to start teaching 2 groups of older kids: 1 is an after-school boys' group and the other a typing class for girls who also do an outside study project together and then practice their typing about it.
I'll probably do a couple of conference calls with the teachers
after they see the material to help with any initial adjustments.
Once they train the older kids,they're thinking of using the materials in a sort of big-brother/big-sister way and in family groups to teach the younger children.
The women's community group will promote the project in the community
through the clinic-school connections already established. The women are
very excited about getting their hands on this material so they can
reinforce this information with their children and neighbors. I think
this is going to be very exciting.
I agree--very exciting! After 5 years of work, the Born2Fly wordless book and curriculum will be in the hands of at-risk kids in a matter of weeks. The Dominican Republic has a huge problem with child trafficking, so this is a strategic place to begin training kids, parents, and teachers.
Remember, the 10/10/10 Twitterthon will help get these amazing materials into the hands of even more at-risk kids around the world. Our goal is 10,000 people giving just $10 each on 10/10/10.
You don't have to wait until then to donate, of course. Just click the orange ChipIn button above and donate by credit card or PayPal.
If you agree that no child should be bought and sold like an animal, please respond today.
Many of you emailed or tweeted me on September 9 in honor of last year's 09-09-09 Twitterthon for The B2F Project to stop child trafficking -- and asked if I was doing another one on 10/10/10.
By popular demand, yes, there WILL be a
Twitterthon on 10/10/10. And no, you don't have to be on Twitter to be
part of it!
Click on the orange Chip-in button above (or here if you're reading this by email) and donate $10 via PayPal or credit card.
Then email 10 of your friends about 10/10/10. Just send them here.
If you're on Twitter, tweet about 10/10/10 to your followers.
That's what made last year's Twitterthon a success. YOU got behind it and told people about it--and it went viral. Let's see if we can do it again, okay?
Why we're doing this
Each year more than a million kids are lured into modern-day slavery where they’re raped for profit 30 or 40 times a night—night after night. Some of them are just 4 years old. Many are right in the U.S.
If that makes you angry, there IS something we can do about it.
Most kids are tricked into sex slavery because they don’t know the deceptive tactics of traffickers. What if we could warn children and their parents ahead of time?
What if we taught them about the lies traffickers use—and how to stand up against them? The rate of trafficking would drop and millions of kids would never enter the dark world of trafficking.
Reaching kids before the traffickers do
The B2F Project educates at-risk children and their parents about the dangers of trafficking through a strategic 6-week community campaign. The project's centerpiece is a wordless book that teaches kids to make wise choices—wordless so we don’t have to translate it into hundreds of languages. A 70-page companion curriculum reinforces the important concepts in the book.
The B2F wordless book and curriculum are complete and ready for testing next month in the Dominican Republic.
Once we have feedback from teachers and kids, we’ll begin distributing these amazing materials all over the world. The 1-day fundraiser will raise money to do that—and prevent millions of kids from ever being trafficked.
What you can do
Donate: Use the Chip-in widget above (or here) to donate $10. (You don't have to wait til 10/10/10 to donate of course.)
Email: Tell 10 people about 10/10/10 and send them to www.born2fly.org or this blog.
Blog: Post about 10/10/10. Include the Chip-in widget (see code below).
Facebook: Talk about 10/10/10; include the Chip-in widget.
Twitter: Tweet about it. Follow me, @DianaScimone, director of The B2F Project.
This is huge news! After 1 year of solid work, we've FINISHED the curriculum for The Born2Fly Project to stop child trafficking.
Can you see me jumping for joy? Dancing? Spinning? Doing cartwheels?
I wish I could show you this amazing curriculum that gives teachers all over the world the tools they need to teach the important concepts in the B2F wordless book. Our goal is to reach kids before the traffickers do -- and this curriculum does that.
The team has worked on it for a year and they did a brilliant job. Mega thanks to educators Karen Armistead and Georgia Ana Larson for sharing their expertise and heart on every page, and to artist Leah Wiedemer whose illustrations make it all come alive.
Georgia Ana, who's taught at-risk kids in 3rd-world countries, told me, "If you want to make a change in a community, you have to involve every level of that community in what you're doing."
That's what we've done.
She helped us create a 6-week community program to stop child trafficking. It involves not just kids, parents, and teachers, but the entire community.
It's nearly 70 pages and includes age-appropriate teaching material, games, posters, activities, and more. Adults mentor teenagers to be "apprentice teachers," and they work together to teach the younger kids in their community. That way we reach everyone.
There's NOTHING else like this anywhere.
That's why dozens of people all over the world have written to us and are waiting for copies of everything.
But first we have to test it.
And here's more good news.
Someone has offered to cover the costs to test the B2F program in the Dominican Republic -- starting THIS MONTH. They're even taking care of printing costs. Awesome!
Once we get feedback from these teachers, teens, and kids, we'll tweak everything and begin distributing these amazing materials around the world.
Traffickers teach victims to distrust outsiders, especially law enforcement.
Foreign victims are afraid of the government and police because they think they'll be deported (whether they're in a country legally or not).
Victims often feel it's their own fault that they're trafficked.
The Stockholm syndrome kicks in; they develop loyalty to their captor as a coping or survival skill. Sometimes they even protect them from authorities.
Even if they're being raped for profit night after night, it may still be better than what they came from (unbelievable but true).
Victims, whether domestic or foreign, probably don't know their rights.
Their captors have lied to them about their rights.
They don't see themselves as victims or trafficked.
They don't have a cell phone, and their captors took away their ID, visas, and passport
They never heard of calling 911, and they distrust police anyway.
Their captors may threaten their families, and say if they try to escape, their families will pay the price.
Remember, if you see someone you think is being trafficked, call the National Human Trafficking hotline at 888.3737.888 (US) or here (other countries). Someone will direct you to people in your community who can help.
For information on how The Born2Fly Project is working to stop children from being trafficked in the first place, visit www.born2fly.org.
Last week I was in Washington DC where I met with a number of people about child trafficking and what The Born2Fly Project is doing to stop it.
Here are some quick quotes from some of them:
"The whole issue of human trafficking is not taken seriously by governments. They ratify the treaties but don't follow through and do anything. The US is the only country with an ambassador heading their anti-trafficking office. More countries need to do that."
"Many countries have a very 1880s view of what human trafficking is. For them it simply means 'moving prostitutes across borders.' The US and UK focus on the exploitation nature of human trafficking. You can't just relegate women to be prostitutes. These women are exploited."
-- Ambassador Luis CdeBaca, director, Office to Monitor and Combat Human Trafficking, US State Department
"Corporations must recognize there is a real vulnerability if they don't recognize these issues. They can be trailblazers on these issues."
-- Mark Lagon, former ambassador-at-large with the Office to Monitor and Combat Human Trafficking, US State Department; now consultant to corporations
"The exemplar of this is Avon [and their foundation to stop domestic and gender violence]. We must build a message that philanthropic goals are going to shape a corporation's name, brand, and profits. It's doing well by doing good."
-- Paula Stern, former chairwoman of the International Trade Commission
I also met with Amy O'Neill Richard at the State Department, one of the authors of the annual Trafficking in Persons Report; Julie Stricker at the State Department, who works with international programs fighting human trafficking; and Dr. Laura Lederer, former head of the Office to Monitor and Combat Human Trafficking and now director of Global Centurion, which works to stop the demand side of trafficking.
Laura invited Born to Fly to join Triple S Network (Stop Sex Slavery), a coalition of 100 anti-trafficking organizations. (We accepted, of course!)
I've had some follow-up conversations with Baroness Goudie, and she'll be guest-posting on this blog (and graciously invited me to write for hers).
"We must keep writing articles and blogging about human trafficking," she stressed. "That is the place to make changes."
Amen. Thank you for reading this blog and wanting to make changes.
If you live in central Florida, you're invited to the soft opening on Monday of a brand-new restaurant called Line Drive Burgers.
Here's the cool thing:
When you place your order, you get to pick from a short list of non-profit organizations, and manager Rob Swanson will donate 5% of your total order to that charity.
Yup, Born to Fly is one of the sponsored charities! Just let your server know you want 5% of your order to go to B2F to help stop child trafficking.
You can check out Line Drive Burger's fun website and menu. Everything is baseball themed with gourmet burgers, brats, and more.
Then come to the soft opening when almost everything is half price while Rob trains the team, or the grand opening a week later:
Soft opening Monday, June 7 (continues through June 12) 10 am - 8 pm
"When can we see the Born to Fly book? When, when, WHEN???"
Okay, you win! I'm trying to keep the book under wraps until the companion curriculum is complete, but I WILL give you a tiny sneak peak at the cover.
So here for the 1st time ever (drum roll) is the cover of the wordless book that's the centerpiece of The B2F Project to stop child trafficking:
The words you see are the only words in the entire book! They are the title of the book in about 40 languages ranging from A to Z (Arabic to Zulu -- really!).
Shout out to many people, including the Twitterverse, for helping to get all those translations. We have so many translations in fact, that they spill over to the back cover (which isn't shown here). The actual cover is about 8x10" so it will be a lot easier to "read" than the tiny image you see here.
Why wordless?
We're going wordless so that we don't have to translate the
book into thousands of languages. We tell the story in 400 illustrations by artist Leah Wiedemer -- about 80 pages in all.
That's Blossom on the cover -- a caterpillar who has a dream to fly. In her quest to follow her dream, she gets kidnapped by the Dream Thieves, who are out to steal everyone's dreams (including hers). In the process she learns 4 important lessons that will help keep kids from getting trafficked:
1. Choices have consequences. 2. It's important to know who your true friends are. 3. You are valuable. 4. You were born to fly; don't settle for less.
Want to see more? You'll just have to wait!
Companion curriculum
Meanwhile, for the past 6 months we've been working on the companion curriculum that will teach kids the important concepts in the wordless book. It's about 75% finished -- and a whole lot longer than I ever thought it would be, but the more material we can include for teachers, the better. This will have to be translated into major languages, of course.
Remember, most kids get taken because they don't know the lures that traffickers use (their parents don't, either). We can dramatically reduce the number of kids being trafficked simply by educating kids and their parents ahead of time.
If you'd like to partner with us to do that, you can make a tax-deductible donation via PayPal or credit card by clicking here. Thank you for helping us reach kids before the traffickers do.
Today is a national holiday in the US to honor Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. I wrote this a few years ago about how he inspired me in the fight to stop child trafficking.
* * *
Five decades ago, my sisters and I set up a little store in the playroom of our house in New York. When we invited our parents to come and shop (i.e. to spend their money), they were aghast to see the sign we had hung in our store:
"We reserve the right to refuse service to anyone."
My parents explained to us the meaning of this sign, which we must have seen in a real store, and why it was wrong--that it was racial discrimination designed to keep out blacks. (As Italian-Americans, my parents had their own encounters with injustice and discrimination, particularly my father.)
I had no clue. I went through the 1950s and, I regret to say, the 60s and still had no clue.
What was happening in the south didn't seem to affect me--Little Rock, Birmingham, Memphis, the March on Washington, Martin Luther King, Jr. It was all something on the pages of newspapers, but didn't really involve me.
When I was 17, I moved to Washington to attend college during the years when race riots scarred the streets. The events of the day began to get a little closer to home.
A decade later, I moved to Alabama, and met people personally affected by injustice. The struggle for justice got closer.
Then I moved to central Florida, where one morning I looked out my window and saw five men cloaked in white sheets protesting outside the Jewish community center across the street, claiming the Holocaust was all a myth. Now the struggle for justice was just outside my front door.
Yet another decade later, I was co-writing a book called The Dream Is Alive about the struggle for racial justice within the Christian church. The title, of course, refers to Martin Luther King's "I Have a Dream" speech. While researching information for the book, I read his speech on the internet and listened to scratchy on-line recordings of many of his other speeches--and they powerfully impacted me. Now the struggle was right at the tip of my fingers.
Today, five decades after taking down that sign, I think I'm finally getting it. Injustice has many forms and faces, and they're all ugly. In my travels, I've seen the injustice of child trafficking face to face--girls in cages, boys sold on streets, and more. As I took down that sign 50 years ago, now I'm working to take down a different form of injustice through The Born2Fly Project to stop child trafficking.
Dr. King's struggle in the face of overwhelming odds, along with his profound words that documented it, are part of the inspiration that has propelled me.
"Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere."
"Justice too long delayed is justice denied."
"We know through painful experience that freedom is never voluntarily given by the oppressor. It must be demanded by the oppressed."
"We will have to repent in this generation not merely for the hateful words and actions of the bad people but for the appalling silence of the good people. Human progress never rolls in on wheels of inevitability; it comes through the tireless efforts of men willing to be co-workers with God, and without this hard work, time itself becomes an ally of the forces of social stagnation. We must use time creatively, in the knowledge that the time is always ripe to do right."
"Was not [the biblical prophet] Amos an extremist for justice? 'Let justice roll down like waters and righteousness like an ever flowing stream' [Amos 5:24] . . . So the question is not whether we will be extremists, but what kind of extremists we will be. Will we be extremists for hate or for love? Will we be extremists for the preservation of injustice or for the extension of justice?"
“A minister cannot preach the glories of heaven while ignoring social conditions in his own community that cause [people] an earthly hell.”
“This hour in history needs a dedicated circle of transformed nonconformists. The saving of our world from pending doom will come not from the actions of a conforming majority but from the creative maladjustment of a transformed minority.”
This is why I launched The Born2Fly Project to stop child trafficking--and why I am pressing through against all odds to get our awareness materials into the hands of girls like Maria:
Maria described how at the age of 16 she was lured off the streets by a young man who promised the world, but delivered nothing but pain.
She was raped, drugged and sold for sex. "They took a gallon of gasoline and started pouring it over a girl," Maria said.
"One of the men told me if you don't do as I say I will do the same to you.
"I wanted to look away, but they didn't let me. Even though the girl was on fire they kept hitting her and they were laughing as if they were enjoying what they were doing."
The report describes a cross-border trade between Mexico and the US--a trade in children and babies. Please understand these babies are not for adoption. They are part of the child sex trade. Yes, babies.
Little-known fact about Diana: The very first thing I ever published was a travel article.
It was way back in the 1970s (I was 2 years old at the time, of course), and it was a newspaper article about the week I spent eating fantastic foods while visiting relatives in Sicily.
The Washington Star graciously published it (and I suspect my atrocious first attempt at writing contributed to the demise of the Star a few years later).
I still love to travel (41 countries and counting). There are many things I do not like about travel, however:
Jet lag
Tummy trouble
Child sex tourism
You can guess which one this blog post is about.
This is about organized tours that you can book on the internet so you can fly to a another country—or another city in the US, like Atlanta—and pay a few dollars to repeatedly rape a little girl (or boy).
Why would anyone want to do that? How's this for justification:
"On this trip, I've had sex with a 14-year-old girl in Mexico and a 15-year-old in Colombia. I'm helping them financially. If they don't have sex with me, they may not have enough food. If someone has a problem with me doing this, let UNICEF feed them."
"Some Americans take advantage of prostituted children while traveling to impoverished countries for business, tourism and other legitimate reasons. Others travel abroad specifically for a 'sex tour.'
"Sex tourists travel to countries such as Cambodia, Thailand, Costa Rica, Mexico and Brazil, expecting anonymity, low-cost prostitution, easily accessible children and impunity from prosecution.
"Notably, it is estimated that one-third of the prostitutes in Cambodia are children. The United States has laws that prohibit sex with minors in other countries and has greatly increased government efforts to combat this problem. Under the Protect Act of 2003, United States citizens or residents who engage in sexual activity abroad with a child under 18 can face 30 years in a U.S. prison. U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement is now actively investigating American sex tourists abroad and making arrests.
"Sexually exploited children are severely wounded physically and emotionally. Many acquire diseases such as HIV and AIDS, and almost all experience rejection by their families and communities in addition to fear, shame and despair."
Under federal law (18 U.S.C. § 2423), it is illegal for a U.S. citizen to travel abroad intending to engage in sexual activity with a child younger than 18 that would be illegal if it occurred in the U.S. Individuals who commit these crimes are subject to prosecution in the U.S. even if the crime was committed on foreign soil. (National Center for Mission and Exploited Children)
You don’t have to fly around the world to find child sex tourism. It happens in the US, probably in your city. The documentary Playground reports on this horror in Atlanta. (Warning: graphic content.)
Traveling? Here's what you can do about it:
Whatever your profession or interest, here’s a comprehensive list of what you can do: www.endslaverynow.com (hat tip blogger Emily Bain Murphy at Season of Light).
Call or e-mail your representative to voice your support for the Child Protection Compact Act (HR 2737).
If you’re planning an international trip, look up your destinations in the 2009 Trafficking in Persons Report and learn about the child sex tourism industry there.
How India is cracking down on the tourism industry for promoting child sex tourism
Google “human trafficking awareness day.” There are more than 1.5 million entries listing events, resources, and stories.
Google “how to stop child sex tourism.”
Google “what hotels are doing to stop child sex tourism.”
Google "Olympics child trafficking."
Google "World Cup child trafficking."
Travel blogger Pam Mandel (@nerdseyeview) has a great post on BlogHer about her own experiences in Cambodia seeing the horrors of child sex tourism all too up-close-and-personal. I'd love to see more travel writers cover this not-so-nice side of travel. (If you do, leave a link in the comments.)
In spite of huge challenges, The Born2Fly Project to stop child trafficking made huge gains in 2009. And you were a part of that.
If you gave to B2F, prayed for B2F, tweeted about us, blogged about us,
posted about us on your Facebook page, emailed me, or encouraged me in
the fight--you helped make 2009 a strategic year.
Here's what you and I and the B2F team accomplished in 2009 to help stop child trafficking:
1. Finished writing the manuscript for Born to Fly, a story to warn kids and parents about the ploys that traffickers use.
2. Completed nearly 500 illustrations to turn that manuscript into a wordless book; artist Leah Wiedemer did a brilliant job.
3. Designed the wordless book and prepared it for print. Hat tip to book designer Cathleen Kwas for fantastic work.
4. Continued writing the B2F curriculum that goes with the book; we'll give this to teachers around the world free of charge.
5. Partnered with educators to help write the curriculum.
6. Linked with translators around the world who'll translate the curriculum into Russian, Thai, French, and many other languages. 7. Heard from 20-25 organizations around the world who've asked to distribute the B2F materials as soon as they're ready. (We're working on many other distribution avenues, too.)
8. Teamed with 2 web developers as we prepare to put the entire wordless book and curriculum online as an additional distribution vehicle.
9. Launched the 09-09-09 Twitterthon: 9,000 people giving $9 each on September 9 to stop child trafficking. We didn't reach our financial goal for the Twitterthon, but we...
10. Increased our reach and number of partners, thanks to 09-09-09.
11. Collaborated with dozens of bloggers who wrote about B2F and the fight to stop child trafficking. (See partial list here.)
12. Networked with 100+ anti-trafficking organizations and individuals on Twitter. (See partial list here.)
13. Produced a new brochure on The B2F Project.
14. Posted on this blog 1-2 times a week to increase awareness about child trafficking around the world and in the US.
15. Guest-posted or was interviewed on others' blogs about how to stop child trafficking (here and here, for example).
Anti-Trafficking Resources (including list of abolitionists on Twitter), Charisma Magazine, November 2009
Orange TV interview, October 2009 (link coming)
7 Ways to Change the World, by Troy Anderson, Ministry Today magazine, November/December 2009 (Born to Fly and yours truly are profiled in the cover story--link coming)
And here's some of the extensive coverage that Born to Fly received thanks to our 09-09-09 fundraiser to stop child trafficking. As a result of these stories, thousands of new people learned about child trafficking and how to stop it:
Prevention and awareness are huge parts of stopping the traffic, so I'm grateful to all these publications, blogs, and writers for featuring Born to Fly and our work.
It's been a great week for The Born2Fly Project! We completed 2 milestones on the road to publishing our picture book to help stop child trafficking.
Early in the week, artist Leah Wiedemer finished the last illustration for the book. You can read about that here and see some photos of the day.
On Wednesday, Leah and I worked with the great staff at Eurografix, who took digital images of the illustrations.
Here's photographer Marnie Burkett setting up for the photo shoot:
It took a while to photograph the first illustration, of course, as Marnie made sure the lighting and settings were right.
Once we were all happy with it, the 3 of us went into action. First, Leah handed Marnie an illustration...
which Marnie carefully tacked up on the wall. Leah used soft pastels, which are very fragile; we joked about dropping
one of the illustrations and watching all the chalk fall off.
Thankfully that didn't happen.
As soon as Marnie shot one illustration, she gingerly removed it from its perch on the wall, handed it to me to put back into the box, and took the next one from Leah's waiting hands. It took about 2 hours to shoot all 75 illustrations.
The next day, Marnie popped the memory card into her computer and color-corrected every illustration, making sure it was as close to the original as possible.
Late this afternoon I picked up a DVD with all the illustrations and gave it to graphic designer Cathleen Kwas, who'll now turn everything into a book.
I'll have more photos for you next week as we continue to document the process of producing this book that will keep many, many kids from being lured into child sex slavery.
Our goal is to reach kids before the traffickers do, so we want to print truckloads of these books and the companion curriculum to teach kids about the lies that traffickers use. The more funds we have, the more books we can print.
You can donate by clicking the orange Chip-in button at the top right or here and donate safely by credit card or PayPal. All funds go to The Born2Fly Project to help stop child trafficking. Thank you for partnering with us to make this happen.
* * *
Donations are still coming in from the 09-09-09 fundraiser for The Born2Fly Project--thanks, everyone! Here are the latest totals:
Total donors: 595
Donations via Chip-in: $12,396.46
Donations via check: 3,457.99
TOTAL: $15,854.45 (as of 10/3)
How to donate: Click the orange Chip-in button at the top right or hereand donate safely by credit card or PayPal. All funds go to The Born2Fly Project to stop child trafficking.
Today was a big day for Born to Fly International. Artist Leah Wiedemer finished the final drawing for the wordless picture book that is the centerpiece of The Born2Fly Project to stop child trafficking. Can you hear us celebrating?
Now, you may ask, "How in the world can a wordless book keep kids from getting trafficked?"
Good question.
Most kids are lured into sex slavery because they don’t know the deceptive tactics of traffickers. Wherever awareness training takes place, the rate of trafficking plummets. There’s just not enough, nor is it available in the languages of most at-risk kids.
The B2F Project is a strategic plan to educate kids, parents, and teachers about the dangers of child trafficking—with the ultimate goal of ending it. Our goal is to reach kids before the traffickers do--and we'll do it with a wordless book.
Why wordless? So we don't have to translate it into a million languages.
Leah did a brilliant job of taking my storyline and retelling it completely in pictures--no words. All in all, she did 75 pages, each with 4, 5, or even 6 individual illustrations.
I have to tell you I had tears in my eyes as I looked at the last illustration. I've worked on this project for 4 long years, including 2 trips to Thailand to research it.
Tomorrow Leah and I have digital images taken of all 75 illustrations. Then the baton passes from Leah to designer Cathleen Kwas, who'll take all those images and turn them into a book. (OK, so we didn't have a baton, but we used one of Leah's paintbrushes.)
By November, we'll be ready to print. How many books will we print? Right now we have funds to print about 400. That's not nearly enough. We want to blanket the globe with these strategic books and the companion curriculum. Remember, our goal is to reach kids before the traffickers do. That means printing a lot of books (at least 100,000).
If you'd like to partner with us to do that, just click the orange Chip-in button at the top right or here, and donate safely by credit card or PayPal. Born to Fly International is a 501c3 non-profit organization and your contribution is tax deductible.
Watch this space for more photos as The Born2Fly Project prepares to take flight.
It's been busy around here! Here's what has been happening since the 09-09-09 fundraiser to stop child trafficking:
1. You donated more than $15,600 for The Born2Fly Project! That's donations via Chip-in, PayPal, and check. Fantastic--thank you! Every penny goes to reaching kids before the traffickers do.
2. Any day now, I expect a call from artist Leah Wiedemer saying she's finished the last illustration for the wordless children's book that's the centerpiece of the B2F project. The book will be about 75 pages with more than 400 illustrations. (You'll love it!)
3. I'm almost finished writing the companion curriculum that will teach kids the important concepts in the book.
4. We're getting quotes from the printer on the final cost to print the books and curriculum.
Since we didn't reach our full financial goal of $81,000, we can't print nearly as many books as we want, but we'll print what we can.
Remember, our mission is to reach kids before the traffickers do.
Most kids get lured into trafficking because they don't know the ploys that traffickers use.
Wherever awareness training takes place, the rate of trafficking plummets. There's just not enough, nor is it in the languages of most at-risk kids.
That's the beauty of The B2F Project. Through a wordless book, we can educate kids and parents all over the world about the dangers of child sex trafficking -- no matter what their language or country, nor how remote their villages.
After working on this project for 4 long years, I'm thrilled we're almost ready to go to press and print these precious materials. I'm anxious to hear back from the printer telling us how many books we can print.
If you want to see that number go up, you can still donate via PayPal or credit card by clicking the orange Chip-in button at the upper-right or here.
On behalf of the many children we'll reach before the traffickers do, thank you.
Remember, most kids get lured into child sex slavery because they don't know the tactics traffickers use. The B2F Project is a strategic 4-stage plan to educate kids, parents, and teachers about the dangers of child trafficking—with the ultimate goal of ending it.
Thank you for helping us reach kids before the traffickers do.
Welcome to the 09-09-09 fundraiser to stop child trafficking. All funds go to The Born2Fly Project, which works to stop child trafficking through awareness and prevention. Learn more at www.born2fly.org.
HOW TO DONATE: Click the orange "Chip-in" button to the right and donate safely by credit card or PayPal.
UPDATE: Although September 9 has passed, we are still very grateful to receive donations to help meet our goal--thank you!
Total donors: 554
Donations via Chip-in: $12,095.46
Donations via check: 2,719.00
TOTAL: $14,814.46 (as of 9/12)
All funds go to The Born2Fly Project to stop child trafficking. That's our passion--and this is what we do:
Thank you for helping us reach children before traffickers do. The 09-09-09 fundraiser will help us print and distribute strategic awareness materials to kids all over the world. You are helping us do that--$9 at a time.
* * *
11:36 pm ET update: Thank you all for making 09-09-09 a big success. Thousands of people who didn't know about child trafficking now do. Thousands of others who knew about it and felt helpless now know what we can do to help stop it.
These are success stories--and you're part of them. Thank you for your love, prayers, donations, tweets, Facebook posts, blogs, emails, and words of encouragement. I couldn't do it without you!
10:26 pm update: And the winners of our final prizes are....
Tracey Solomon: 2 nights at any Aqua Resorts in Hawaii courtesy of AquaResorts.com (value $895)
Julie Dobson: Sterling silver and 14-karat gold-filled bracelet from MetaLace artist Kathryn Stanko (value $125)
Daniel and Shellie Hoffman: Pumpkin Patch original watercolor painting by artist Leah Wiedemer (value $350)
Congratulations to the winners and huge thanks to all the donors! I'll email winners and prize donors so you can arrange for delivery of
your prizes (or promotional certificate for the resort stay). You can see details of your prize by scrolling below.
10:06 pm update: We're about to award the Hawaii resort stay...so if you're thinking of donating, this is the time!
9:09 pm update: Congratulations to these prize winners!
Donna Standridge: $25 gift certificate for PartyBeans.com
Carolyn Rowan: $25 gift certificate for PartyBeans.com
Emily Hill: $35 gift certificate for AnnouncementsGalore.com
I'll email winners and prize donors so you can arrange for delivery of
your prizes. You can see details of your prize by scrolling below.
We'll award more prizes soon.
Everyone who donates is eligible, and all funds go to The Born2Fly Project to stop child trafficking. So chip-in $9 and you might win something nice.
9:05 pm update: It's almost 9:09 pm on 09-09-09. Time to award a few more prizes in honor of the moment...
7:40 pm update: Congratulations to these prize winners!
Melinda Howard (@MelArt): Custom Twitter background from TwitterWalls.com
Jon Swanson (@jnswanson): Custom Twitter background from TwitterWalls.com
FC Kibler (@Kibler): Premium membership to BreakPal.com
I'll email winners and prize donors so you can arrange for delivery of
your prizes. You can see details of your prize by scrolling below.
We'll award more prizes soon.
Everyone who donates is eligible, and all funds go to The Born2Fly Project to stop child trafficking. So chip-in $9 and you might win something nice.
7:05 pm update: We have lots more great prizes to give away, so stay tuned.
6:19 pm update: Huge thanks to everyone who's donated so far! You are amazing. Our goal? To reach kids before the traffickers do. Your donation will help us print the B2F awareness materials and get them to at-risk kids and parents around the world. How great is that? You've just changed a life.
5:00 pm update: Congratulations to these prize winners!
Clifford Sumner: Purpose assessment with purpose coach Dr. John Stanko
Rockey Measom: $25 gift certificate for PartyBeans.com
Sue Henderson: Adventures With PawPaw children's book series, by yours truly
Erin McKennah (@McKennah): Sterling silver Twitter name necklace from Survival of the Hippest
Lisa Bergren: Slave Hunter, book by Aaron and Christine Buckley
I'll email winners and prize donors so you can arrange for delivery of
your prizes. You can see details of your prize by scrolling below.
We'll award more prizes soon.
Everyone who donates is eligible, and all funds go to The Born2Fly Project to stop child trafficking. So chip-in $9 and you might win something!
4:45 pm update: Announcing 3 more prizes momentarily...Donate now by clicking the orange Chip-in button to the right.
4:27 pm update: Congratulations to these prize winners!
Alison Tishenko: DISC profiling with purpose coach Dr. John Stanko
Katrina Cole: $25 gift certificate for PartyBeans.com
Christine Moore: Trust Agents, book by Chris Brogan and Julien Smith
I'll email winners and prize donors so you can arrange for delivery of
your prizes. You can see details of your prize by scrolling below.
We'll award more prizes soon.
Everyone who donates is eligible, and all funds go to The Born2Fly Project to stop child trafficking. So chip-in $9 and you might win something!
4:14 pm update: Just ignore that Chip-in total! It hasn't updated on here for hours, but I can see the update on their site. Between Chip-in donations and checks, we're well into $12,000. Can we reach $13K by the bottom of the hour??
More prizes coming shortly. Tell 9 people.
3:47 pm update: Congratulations to these prize winners!
Julie Taylor Shematz (@JulietheArtist1): Custom Twitter background from TwitterWalls.com
Stacy Brice (@StacyBrice): Custom Twitter background from TwitterWalls.com
Stephanie Hamilton (@Nowhere2Hide): $25 gift certificate for PartyBeans.com
I'll email winners and prize donors so you can arrange for delivery of
your prizes. You can see details of your prize by scrolling below.
We'll award more prizes soon.
Everyone who donates is eligible, and all funds go to The Born2Fly Project to stop child trafficking. So chip-in $9 and you might win something!
3:11 pm update: You pushed us over $12,000! Time for more prizes...
1:43 pm update: And the winners are:
Patricia Stallings: Original watercolor from artist Leah Wiedemer
Dirk Nebbeling: My Pittsburgh, book by Ed Folino
I'll email winners and prize donors so you can arrange for delivery of
your prizes. You can see details of your prize by scrolling below.
We'll award more prizes soon.
Everyone who donates is eligible, and all funds go to The Born2Fly Project to stop child trafficking. So chip-in $9 and you might win something!
1:37 pm update: Ready to give away more prizes...
1:09 pm update: We passed $11,000! That's the Chip-in total + checks received. Keep it coming!
12:20 pm update: We have some just-for-Twitter prizes. If you're on Twitter and you've already donated, DM or tweet me to let me know so you'll be included in the drawing. (Plz RT)
12:09 pm update: Congratulations to these prize winners!
Steve and Francine Heiks: Set of Karim Rashid-designed kitchen and office tools from slice
Diana Day: Custom-made sterling silver charm bracelet from The Charm Factory
Norm Anderson: Beyond Purpose, book by Dr. John Stanko
I'll email winners and prize donors so you can arrange for delivery of
your prizes. You can see details of the prize by scrolling below.
We'll award more prizes soon.
Everyone who donates is eligible, and all funds go to The Born2Fly Project to stop child trafficking. So chip-in $9 and you might win something!
11:58 am update: Coming up on 9:09 am Pacific Time--so time to award more prizes. Watch this space...
11:16 am update: Congratulations to these prize winners!
Bob Korzeniewski: MetaLace sterling silver circle earrings from artist Kathryn Stanko
Randy Arrowood: Julbo Kitty sunglasses from Traveling Mamas and Kara Williams
Sally Bard: Original charcoal portrait by artist Melinda Howard
Melissa Godshall: I Wrote This Book on Purpose, book by Dr. John Stanko
Margaret Buckley: The Quiet Place, music CD by Nancy Scimone
Janie Graziani: Long Time Coming, book by Ed Folino
I'll email winners and prize donors so you can arrange for delivery of
your prizes. You can see details of the prize by scrolling below.
We'll award more prizes soon.
Everyone who donates is eligible, and all funds go to The Born2Fly Project to stop child trafficking. So chip-in $9 and you might win something!
11:09 am update: It's 9:09 am Mountain Time--and we're ready to award more prizes. Watch this space in a moment... BTW, the Chip-in widget is waaaay behind. We have 317 donors; I'll total the $$ and post it here.
9:27 am update: The total showing on the Chip-in widget is really behind. There are 283 Chip-in donors, and total should be around $7400. Plus $2200 from donations made by checks. We're nearing $10,000--can we do it by 10 am??
9:09 am update: Congratulations to these prize winners!
Nina Long: Plane Quiet Platinum Headset
Jim and Beth Herman: 2 small topiary plants from Shubert Nursery
Rebecca Anzelone: Essentials Skin Care Set from Saphoros
Charlene Elwood: The Power of Purpose book from Dr. John Stanko
Victor and Janice Danz: Adventures With PawPaw children's book series, from Diana Scimone
I'll email winners and prize donors so you can arrange for delivery of your prizes. Congrats! You can see details of the prize by scrolling below.
We'll award more prizes later this morn. Everyone who donates is eligible, and all funds go to The Born2Fly Project to stop child trafficking. So chip-in $9 and you might win something!
8:30 am update: Here are the prizes we'll award at 9:09 am:
Plane Quiet Platinum Headset, from Shannon Hurst Lane
2 small topiary plants, from Shubert Nursery
Essentials Skin Care Set, from Saphoros
The Power of Purpose (book), by Dr. John Stanko
Adventures With PawPaw (children's books), by yours truly Diana Scimone
Scroll down for complete descriptions. Everyone who donates is eligible to win!
8:03 am update: We'll award prizes starting at 9:09 am. Watch this space... (Scroll down to see all the prizes.)
7:46 am update: I slept, you donated! The total is now $9,428.49 (Chip-in total + checks). Donor Andrew N. says, "Raise the bar to 90k if you hit the 9k before you even launch. :-)" Let's do it!
1:36 am update: You donated $8,832.49 in advance donations (Chip-in total + checks) even before the fundraiser officially started! (You are awesome!)
1:20 am update: All prizes are listed here. Everyone who donates is eligible to win. 1:08 am update: Just posted a late-breaking prize to give away later today--a customized sterling silver Twitter name necklace.
12:01 am update: The 09-09-09 fundraiser to stop child trafficking is officially underway!
We've got one more super prize to announce: A sterling silver customized necklace with your very own Twitter name!
It's from SurvivaloftheHippest.com. Twitter ID necklaces are a cool twist to the nameplate trend for social media aficionados. Why leave your Twitter name stuck on the screen when you can wear it proudly in sterling silver?
The necklace you could win is part of the "Social St@tus Collection" from Survival of the Hippest. Survival prez Phoebe Jonas says this collection has rescued legions of Tweeters from Twittername obscurity and helped them increase their social net worth.
All necklaces are custom made from .925 sterling silver. Phoebe suggests a chain length of 14" long (to bring the total length of the necklace to 16").
Follow Phoebe on Twitter @thehippest. (She's the one with the cool necklace.)
We'll give away this prize on 09-09-09. All funds raised go to The Born2Fly Project to stop child trafficking.
How to donate: Click the orange "Chip-in" button at the top right and donate safely by credit card or PayPal.
It's the day before 09-09-09 when we'll do something never done before: raise $81,000 in a single day to stop child trafficking.
It may seem odd at this moment to be thinking about my high school biology teacher.
Mr. Bateson spent a lot less time teaching us about frog innards than he did teaching us life lessons. At the time, his monologues about life used to annoy me because I knew tests were coming and I wouldn’t know the difference between a lung and a liver.
Flash forward a number of decades. I can’t remember a thing about frogs—but I still remember one of Mr. Bateson’s favorite lines: “It’s better to aim for the moon and miss than to aim for the gutter and make it.”
Today, 24 hours before trying something that seems like aiming for the moon, I’m remembering his words. And the words of someone else who told us just to step out on the water and trust Him.
It’s absolutely crazy to think we can raise $81,000 in one day. It’s totally foolish to think we can someday see the end of child trafficking. It’s ridiculous to hope I’ll be out of a job someday.
Sometimes the things that are foolish in the eyes of the world are pretty sane and normal and business-as-usual in the eyes of God.
So, thank you for being part of such a crazy, foolish, ridiculous thing.
Thank you to everyone who has already donated $9 or is ready to donate...posted something on their blog about 09-09-09...tweeted about it...Facebooked about it...emailed 9 friends about it...prayed for me...prayed for the kids we’re trying to keep from being trafficked...and more.
Thank you for joining me as together we aim for the moon.
Reminder: All day on 09-09-09, I'll post updates here, including prize give-aways.
If you subscribe to this blog by email, remember you normally receive it the day after I've posted. So you don't miss anything, please visit www.dianascimone.com throughout the day on 09-09-09 and keep refreshing the page to read the latest.
I want to tell you about an email I received from someone last week.
She gave me permission to share it with you--to show the critical need for the Born2Fly awareness materials.
I have only ever told one other person about the following experience when growing up in California. I was approximately 10 or 11 years old and had entirely too much freedom.
I was taking a short cut through an apartment complex and going home. There was a limousine in the parking lot but not in a parking spot. As I walked by, the back door opened to the guest in the back. It was a woman, well dressed and attractive.
First she invited me to sit next to her, and being as I was to sit on the outside of the seat I did so but left one leg outside the limo. Also, the door was left open.
She asked me if I wanted a job. I was curious and said, "Yes." She told me I would have to go home and pack up my things. She also mentioned that "they" could get my teeth fixed. I had an eyetooth that protruded slightly.
I told her "okay" and she said to meet her back there (in the parking lot) in an hour. I then left but had no intention of going with her.
Instead I left for awhile then came back and hid in the bushes watching the limo. It waited for me but not for long. It left without me and to be honest I had no idea what I had so narrowly avoided.
It took a long time, years actually, before I figured out what that was all about. Honestly, it really freaks me out now! I wonder if some other child had left with her and wish I would have been more attuned to what was going on. Maybe I could have helped catch her.
I was unaware of the situation I was in when it was occurring and it gives me shivers to think about now.
Thank you for all you are doing. I had not thought about that incident in years and because of your diligence in trying to make people aware of this problem it helped me to share my experience with my children. They are now aware of this evil and better prepared to acknowledge a dangerous situation if it occurs.
I've received other letters like this, which you can read here and here. All three of these incidents occurred in the US.
These children escaped from adults who were trying to traffic them. How many did not?
Can you see why I'm so passionate about getting the B2F materials into the hands of at-risk kids and parents all over the world?
Traffickers think children are commodities. Will you partner with us to tell kids they're priceless? $9 is a great way to start.
Blogger Doug Picirillo is much better at math than I am.
Doug came up with a creative way to show the power behind Wednesday's 1-day fundraiser to stop child trafficking. Here's how it goes:
The goal is to raise $81,000 by asking 9,000 to chip in $9 by 9-9-9.
How do we find 9,000 people?
I tell 9 people. We are 10. Those 9 each tell 9 more. 81 new people. We are 91. The next 81 each tell 9 more. 729 new people. We are 820. The next 729 each tell 9 more. 6,561 new people. We are 7,381. The next 6,561 each tell 9 more. 59,049 new people. We are 66,430.
It might not go exactly like that, but it could. The numbers are simple.
Your $9 contribution is hugely important. But please, tell a friend or two or three or nine and ask them to pass it on!
Just in time for autumn, here's our latest prize to be given away on 09-09-09 during our fundraiser for The Born2Fly Project: a luscious original watercolor called Pumpkin Patch.
1. She's the fantastic artist who's illustrating the Born to Fly wordless book that we'll distribute to at-risk kids and their parents around the world.
2. She's already donated another painting as a prize for the fundraiser. (You can see them here.)
3. And today is her birthday. (If you're on Twitter, you can send her a birthday tweet @RoamingArtist.)
So you might say it's Leah's birthday--and she's giving you a present.
Pumpkin Patch is an original watercolor, 22 x 30" (unframed). It sells for $350--and you could win it on 09-09-09. Everyone who donates just $9 is entered in the prize drawing.
Our goal is 9,000 people giving $9 each on 09-09-09. All funds go to The Born2Fly Project to help stop child trafficking, and will help us print and distribute strategic awareness materials to at-risk kids and their parents all over the world.
* * *
Here's the answer to yesterday's question:
Q: When it's peak citrus season in Florida, it can also be peak season for human trafficking. What happened last February to turn that grim fact around?
A: Florida has a huge number of immigrants who look for work in the agriculture industry. Many are illiterate, unskilled, and desperate for work--and prime targets for traffickers.
Last winter the Florida Coalition Against Human Trafficking sponsored a workshop for farmers, growers, and local law enforcement on how to watch for and prevent trafficking. More than 350 people attended. You can read more here.
We're almost there!
On Monday I'll post some final info about Wednesday's 1-day 09-09-09 fundraiser. Remember, you don't have to wait until then to make your donation. Just click the orange Chip-in button at the top right (or here).
We're in the final stretch of our 31-day countdown to the 09-09-09 1-day fundraiser for The Born2Fly Project. Our goal is 9,000 people giving $9 each to stop child trafficking.
We've already received $4,400 in donations! Thank you to everyone who's donated (and who plans to on 09-09-09).
You'll all be entered into a drawing on September 9 to win prizes like this one: a complete DISC Profile, donated by PurposeQuest coach Dr. John Stanko.
John is my own personal purpose coach, and a board member of Born2Fly. Here's what he says:
Have you ever tried to be who you are not? Have others expected things of you that you just can't produce?
If so, perhaps it's time to step back and take a good look at who you really are and how you can be more effective in your work and relationships.
I took the DISC profile years ago (I'm an I/S) and I can't even count the number of ways it's helped me understand myself and others--and be more effective at what I do.
I've been in coaching sessions when John has profiled and then counseled people, and they're literally in tears when they understand who they are (and who they are not).
If you win this great prize, you'll take the DISC profiles online, and then receive follow-up reports from John via email.
It's a $100 prize that could change your life--and you could win it with a contribution of just $9 to the 09-09-09 fundraiser.
Just click the orange Chip-in button at the upper right (or here), and donate safely by credit card or PayPal. Remember, all funds go to The Born2Fly Project, which will help us print and distribute the strategic B2F awareness materials to at-risk kids and their parents around the world.
Oh, what's the best way to stop child trafficking? Make sure it never happens in the first place.
* * *
Here's the answer to yesterday's question:
Q: Let's say you need a gift and you want to help stop human trafficking. Where could you shop?
A: You need some traffic-stopping shopping--beautiful items made by women and girls (and men) rescued from human trafficking. There are lots of online stores featuring these products and you can find a list here.
Today's question:
Q: When it's peak citrus season in Florida, it can also be peak season for human slavery. What happened last February that helped turn that grim fact around?
Stay tuned for the answer tomorrow--along with the final prize we'll give away on 09-09-09.
It's a $555 value. Whoops, update! Make that an $895 value!
You'll choose from 13 Aqua hotels in Honolulu and 2 Aqua resorts on Maui and Molokai. This, for example, is Aqua's Hotel Wailea on Maui:
It's perched above the inspiring Wailea coastline. The all-suites resort has spacious accommodations, each with a private lanai. There's world-class golf, top-tier tennis, first-rate restaurants, and unparalleled shopping within close proximity of this inviting, secluded resort.
There are lots of other Aqua hotels and resorts to choose from, too. Visit the website and take a mini tropical vacation while you check them out.
This is such a fabulous prize that we could have held a silent online auction for it, but I wanted to throw it into the mix and give everyone who donates an equal opportunity to win it.
How fun would that be to say you donated just $9 and won 2 nights at a resort in Hawaii?
Remember, our goal is 9,000 people each giving $9 on (or before) 09-09-09. Everyone who donates will be entered into a drawing to win prizes. You can donate safely via PayPal or credit card by clicking the orange Chip-in button on the upper right (or here).
All funds go to The Born2Fly Project to stop child trafficking, and will help us print and distribute these strategic materials to at-risk kids and their parents all over the world.
Our thanks to Aqua Hotels and Resorts for donating this super prize (and to @Neenz for making the introduction). Follow Aqua on Twitter: @AquaHotels.
* * *
Here's the answer to yesterday's question (and remember, I promised good news):
A: The rate of cross-border child trafficking dropped. Why? Because of better collaboration among local residents, civil society groups, village chiefs, and government.
It proves it does not take a huge infrastructure to make a difference in the rate of child trafficking; it simply takes collaboration and communication. You can read more here.
Today's question:
Q: Let's say you need a gift and you want to help stop human trafficking at the same time. Where could you shop?
Watch this space for the answer tomorrow, along with another prize we'll award on 09-09-09. Remember, make your donation on or before 09-09-09. All funds go to The Born2Fly Project to stop child trafficking.
It's Day 8 in the countdown to the 09-09-09 1-day fundraiser. Our goal is 9,000 people giving $9 each on 09-09-09 for The Born2Fly Project to stop child trafficking.
I have some really great prizes to announce this final week. Everyone who donates on or before 09-09-09 is eligible to win them.
If you're keeping track, you know that MetaLace jewelry artist Kathryn Stanko already donated a beautiful hand-crafted MetaLace sterling silver and 14-karat gold-filled bangle bracelet (retail $125+). (The one pictured to the right is gold-filled, but the winning bracelet will be both 14-karat gold-filled and sterling silver.)
Now she's sweetened the pot by adding another gorgeous piece from her fall collection: these round MetaLace earrings made from Argentium sterling silver. They're about 1-1/4 inches in diameter with French wires--very light, elegant, and trendy.
Kathryn's work sells primarily in art galleries around the country. These beautiful earrings are valued at $65--thank you, Kathryn!
We'll award the earrings and the bracelet as 2 separate prizes. They could be yours on 09-09-09. Everyone who donates to the fundraiser will be entered into a drawing to win all the prizes. You can donate safely via PayPal or credit card by clicking the orange Chip-in button on the upper right (or here).
Remember, all funds go to The Born2Fly Project to help stop child trafficking, and will help us print and distribute these strategic materials to at-risk kids and their parents all over the world.
* * *
Here's the answer to yesterday's question:
Q: What does the travel industry have to do with child sex slavery?
A: Sadly, a lot. Child sex tourism is big business in many countries. Charter flights arrive packed with customers willing to pay to rape children.
A few hours after I posted yesterday's question, 3 American "tourists" were arrested in Cambodia in an ongoing federal sex tourism investigation--part of an effort by the US Immigration and Customs Enforcement to identify and prosecute American sex tourists in Cambodia. You can read about it here. And here is something the travel industry is doing to stop this kind of tourism.
Today's question:
Q: I think it's time for a good-news question. What happened last year on the border between Guinea-Bisseau and Senegal, and what did it prove?
Watch this space for the answer tomorrow--along with a really big prize that you won't want to miss. (I hope you win it.)
My enormous thanks goes to all these bloggers and reporters for
helping
us in our efforts to stop child trafficking. (And if I missed your
post, please leave a comment with the link, and I'll happily add it to
the list.)
There are more blogs and articles coming this
week, and I'll share the links with you.
I also have a list of many other
people to thank who've volunteered their time and talents to help us. I'll do that in an upcoming post.
* * *
Update #1: Here are more articles and blog posts that have appeared since I wrote the above. If I've (still) missed you, leave a comment and I'll be happy to add you.
Our countdown to 09-09-09 is now in the single digits. It's just 9 days until the 09-09-09 1-day fundraiser to stop child trafficking.
Our goal is 9,000 people each giving $9 on 09-09-09. So far we have nearly $1,400 in advance donations. All funds go to the Born2Fly Project to stop child trafficking.
We'll
give away lots of great prizes on September 9, and everyone who donates
on the day or ahead of time is eligible. Here are some great books andCDs we'll give away.
1. Adventures With PawPaw children's book series, written by Diana Scimone and illustrated by Leah Wiedemer (@DianaScimone and @RoamingArtist)
Adventures With PawPaw
is a series about a little dog who travels to a different country in
each book, introducing young children to other countries and cultures.
We'll give away 2 sets of all 3 books in the series--China, France, and
Costa Rica--which will be signed by yours truly (the author) and
illustrator LeahWiedemer (who's illustrating the Born to Fly books for the B2F Project). (Retail value $25 per set)
John is my own personal purpose coach and serves
on the board of directors of Born to Fly. His excellent books will
help you know your purpose and then move beyond that to actually do
something about it. We'll award the 3 books to 3 separate winners.
(Total retail value of all 3 books $34)
Ed
is known as the Pittsburgh Poet. After he retired a few years ago
working as an office products dealer in the Steel City, he realized a
life-long dream: to publish the poetry he'd been writing for years.
He's already published 2 books, which we'll give away on 09-09-09 (1
book each to 2 winners). (Total retail value $29.90)
There's
nothing like tweeting with someone who posts riveting updates such as,
"We're about to break into a brothel in Cambodia to rescue trafficking
victims." Aaron Cohen and co-author Christine Buckley have brought that
immediacy to their brand-new book, which is already #75 on Amazon's
list of human rights books. We'll give away a copy on 09-09-09. (Retail
value $24.99)
I
already posted about this hot-off-the-press book a few weeks ago, but
wanted to include it in our book giveaway list. You can read that post here. BTW, kudos to Chris and Julien because Trust Agents is now #13 on the NY Times best-seller list. (Retail value $24.95)
This
book by yours truly will help you write the book that's inside you.
It's practical, motivating, and encouraging, and will show you how to
move your book from dream to reality (which every author on this page
had to do). This is an e-book, and if you win, I'll send you
instructions to download it free. (Retail value $14.95)
Nancy
is my sister, and I'm a little miffed that she got all the singing
genes in the family. She graciously left me some of the writing
genes--but she can write, too. In fact, she wrote all the gorgeous
songs on this CD, which is a collection of favorite psalms set to jazz
and classical (both of which Nancy does beautifully). It's one of the
most relaxingCDs you'll ever hear--and you could win it on 09-09-09. (Retail value $11)
You
could win one of these great prizes on 09-09-09 simply by donating to
our fundraiser to stop child trafficking. Just click the orange Chip-in
button at the top right (or here), and donate safely and securely by credit card or PayPal.
Remember, all the funds go to the Born2Fly Project
to help stop child trafficking, and will help us print and distribute
these strategic materials to at-risk kids and their parents all over
the world.
* * *
Here's the answer to Friday's question:
Q:
A young girl named Rosa testified before Congress about how she was
smuggled into the US. What country was she from, and what US city did
she end up in?
A: Rosa was from Mexico, trafficked into the US,
and brought to Orlando, where she was held in a trailer and raped for
profit many times throughout the day and night, until she finally
escaped. She told her story before Congress, which you can read about here.
Today's question is:
Q: What does the travel industry have to do with child sex slavery?
Watch
this space tomorrow for the answer--along with another prize in the
31-day countdown to the 09-09-09 fundraiser to stop child trafficking.
We've got some pretty big prizes coming up this week!
We're announcing a prize a day for 31 days (not counting weekends--ya gotta give me a little break).
We'll give them all away on 09-09-09 during our 1-day fundraiser for The Born2Fly Project to stop child trafficking.
The prize-du-jour is a set of 3 uber-cool sliceproducts for home and office. What makes them so sharp? All the cutting surfaces are high-tech ceramic.
Ceramic is the most durable substance on earth after diamonds. Unlike stainless, these ceramic blades won't dull, rust, pit, or get discolored.
Plus they'll look pretty cool in your kitchen or office. Karim Rashid designed the slice Y-Peeler (right) and slice Precision Cutter (left) with fun kiwi-green lightweight and ergonomic handles.
Karim's products hang out in the Museum of Modern Art in New York, so your kitchen and office will be in very nice company.
Also included in this prize is a handy slice Safety Cutter (below). It's got a ceramic blade, too. I keep one in my kitchen and another in my office, and they're put to good use all week long.
Our thanks go to Slice, a great company that donates a portion of its profits to autism research. The cutting-edge prize package they've provided is worth $28, and it could be yours.
Everyone who donates to the 09-09-09 fundraiser (either on September 9 or before) is eligible to win.
Remember, our goal is 9,000 people each giving $9 on 09-09-09. All funds go to The Born2Fly Project to stop child trafficking and will help us print and distribute these strategic materials to at-risk kid and parents all over the world.
* * *
Here's the answer to yesterday's question:
Q: A reporter leaves his office in New York and flies to Haiti. How long does it take before 3 different people offer to sell him a 10-year-old child?
A: 10 hours from the time he left his office in NY. It happened to ABC Nightline reporter Dan Harris, who was working on a story about child slavery. You can read what happened here.
Today's question is:
Q: A young girl named Rosa testified before Congress about how she was smuggled into the US. What country was she from, and what US city did she end up in?
Watch this space on Monday for the answer--along with another prize in the 31-day countdown to the 09-09-09 fundraiser to stop child trafficking.
Yes, someday I hope to announce that there's no more child trafficking.
In the meantime, I'll announce the latest prize we'll give away during the 09-09-09 fundraiser to stop child trafficking: a $35 gift certificate for custom photo announcements at AnnouncementsGalore.com.
Need birth announcements? Save the dates? Wedding invitations? Christmas or Hanukkah cards? Party invites?
The announcement or card you need is just a click away on this fun-filled site where you can choose your own design, colors, background, and font. Personalize it with your own photo, and voila: a one-of-a-kind keepsake card or announcement for your special day.
Give the site a whirl and see what you could win. Our thanks to Announcements Galore for this nice gift. (Follow them on Twitter @DawnA_G.)
Remember, our goal for the fundraiser to stop child trafficking is 9,000 people each giving $9 on 09-09-09. I don't know 9,000 people--so would you help me out by forwarding this to 9 of your friends?
All the funds go to the Born2Fly Project to help stop child trafficking and will help us print and distribute these strategic materials to at-risk kids and their parents all over the world.
BTW, I really do believe we can end child trafficking someday. I wouldn't be working this hard if I didn't. (I've got lots of other things I want to do, so let's get this one out of the way, okay?)
* * *
Here's the answer to yesterday's question:
Q: What is the Innocence Lost Initiative, how many children has it rescued, and from what country?
A: Stephanie at Nowhere2Hide left the correct answer in a comment: "Innocence Lost is a combined initiative between the FBI, the Department of Justice, and the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children. Its focus is to identify and rescue children in the US who have been victims of sex trafficking. To date, they have rescued over 500 kids!" Read more about this great program here.
Today's question:
Q: A reporter leaves his office in New York and flies to Haiti. How long does it take before 3 different people offer to sell him a 10-year-old child?
Leave a comment if you know. I'll post the answer tomorrow, along with another prize we'll give away on 09-09-09.
We're announcing a prize a day for 31 days leading up to the 09-09-09 fundraiser for The Born2Fly Project to stop child trafficking. We'll give away all the prizes on September 9--and everyone who donates is eligible to win.
The prize we're featuring today is courtesy of The Charm Factory: a beautiful custom-made sterling silver charm bracelet.
If you win, you'll choose 8 sterling silver charms from their extensive collection: holidays, pets, babies, birthdays, hobbies, crafts, gardening, food, and many more categories to choose from.
The Charm Factory will attach them to their most popular sterling bracelet--which will look quite fetching hanging from your wrist.
All the charms are .925 sterling silver, free of nickel and lead, and manufactured in the United States. The retail value is $60. Our thanks to The Charm Factory for this lovely gift! (You can follow them on Twitter @charm_factory.)
Everyone who donates to the fundraiser to stop child trafficking is eligible to win this and all our other prizes. Just click the orange Chip-in button to the right or here, and donate safely by PayPal or credit card.
Remember, our goal is 9,000 people each giving $9 on 09-09-09. All the funds go to The Born to Fly Project to stop child trafficking.
* * *
Here's the answer to yesterday's question:
Q: What US city helped shut down an international sex slave ring operating in their midst?
A: Clearwater, Florida. Earlier this year, the Clearwater Task Force on Human Trafficking and local police agencies worked together to investigate and shut down an international sex slave ring that held many women hostage. You can read more here.
Today's question:
Q: If you're in another country and see someone who looks like they're being trafficked, what should you do?
Leave a comment if you know. We'll reveal the answer tomorrow--along with another prize that we'll give away during the 09-09-09 1-day fundraiser to stop child trafficking.
BreakPal is the web's only fitness-at-your-desk program. It reminds you throughout the day to do 1-2 minute stretches, exercises, cardio, and even a little kung fu--and actually shows you what to do.
BreakPal pres Phil Weaver let me try out the program, and it's great. I do an hour-long Funiq Fitness workout twice a week, but in between I sit slouched over my laptop, so I'm loving these 2-minute breaks.
You can love it, too, because BreakPal is giving a premium membership ($125 value) to one lucky winner on 09-09-09. Everyone who donates to the fundraiser is eligible. Just click the orange bar on the Chip-in button to the right or here.
Remember, our goal is 9,000 people each giving $9 on 09-09-09--and all the funds go to the Born2Fly Project to stop child trafficking.
* * *
Here's the answer to yesterday's question:
Q: What's one of the not-so-super-sides of mega-sporting events such as the SuperBowl, World Cup, and Olympics?
A: Human trafficking. Sadly the rate of trafficking skyrockets in cities where these and other international sporting events are held.
Anti-slavery groups are already working with organizers of the 2010 World Cup in South Africa and the 2012 Olympics in London to make sure this doesn't happen. Read more here about the most recent SuperBowl, or Google "human trafficking" and any of those events and you'll find a ton of links.
Tomorrow's question:
Q: 2.8 million kids live on the streets in the US. How long does it take them to be lured into child trafficking?
Answer tomorrow, along with another prize to be given away to a donor during the 09-09-09 fundraiser.
It's just 23 days til the 09-09-09 1-day fundraiser for The Born2Fly Project to stop child trafficking. We already have 7 donations from people who just couldn't wait until September 9 to give (and I'm not stopping them).
You can see the Chip-in widget here (or to the right if you're reading this on my blog) and watch that total add up.
Remember, our goal is 9,000 people each giving $9 on 09-09-09. So tell your friends, okay? All funds go to The Born2Fly Project, which will launch this fall.
We're working on some great prizes, which everyone who donates will be eligible to win (whether you donate now or on 09-09-09).
Now don't you wish you could wear these? Sorry, they're for kids! Win them now, and you'll have a fabulous gift ready for Christmas or Hanukkah (a $40 value).
Thank you to Kara, another one of my Twitter buddies and one of the famed Traveling Mamas, whose blog was voted Best Travel Blog among many other awards. Kara is MountainMama. On Friday we revealed a nice gift from CajunMama; I think it's wonderful that the Mamas are helping us stop child trafficking.
* * *
Here's the answer to Friday's question:
Q: What's the name of the State Department's annual report that assesses the efforts of 100+ countries to shut down trafficking within their borders?
A: The TIP Report, which stands for Trafficking In Persons. If you're traveling, like the Mamas do, check out the TIP list before you go and find out about the trafficking situation in the countries where you'll be.
Countries are divided into 3 categories (and believe me, no one wants to be stuck on Tier 3). You can see the 2009 list of countries and where they rank here.
And now, today's question:
Q: Which 3 countries improved their efforts to stop the traffic, and were moved off Tier 3 this year?
You can flip through the 320-page TIP Report to find the answer...or just tune in tomorrow.
Recent Comments