All of us in the James Connection community have faced our own challenges due to the Coronavirus, and as you are supporters of Angels’ Place in India, your concern surely extends to the children that we have worked so hard to nurture there. The purpose here is to update you on how the James Connection is managing the current Coronavirus crisis as it impacts Angels’ Place and to identify our priorities.
1) The well-being of the children remains our first priority. The Indian government has closed all orphanages in the country. The children of Angels’ Place have returned to their legal guardians during the quarantine in India. The children regularly visit their guardians and their villages over the course of a normal year, and so this action is not a significant adjustment for the short term. However, they would not be at Angels’ Place if they had a stable long-term environment in these homes, and so we want to support their wellness as much as possible during this time. R. Sanga, our lead staff member in India, has regular contact with the children and is monitoring their situations. As the children come from a broad area, some from 50 miles or more from Angels’ Place, we are working to ensure effective contact with their families and their local communities.
2) We are ensuring the proper maintenance and staffing of Angels’ Place during quarantine. Jan Swensen, Executive Director of the James Connection, and R. Sanga are working together to ensure maintenance of the facility and staff of Angels’ Place. Some staff members live on site and will care for the facilities. We consider it essential to support all staff during this time in order to preserve continuity of personnel and expertise for managing Angels’ Place. We also must protect the health of all staff of Angels’ Place, in order that they remain strong in the current and future service of the children and the facility. Finally, we are maintaining continuity with our strategic partners in the area: the schools, the area medical facilities, other relief agencies, churches, and the entrepreneurs who help with our vocational education.
3) We are planning for the future after quarantine. When the pandemic passes, Angels’ Place will need to be prepared to receive the children in a safe, healthy facility. We are formulating plans now, which include examining each child to make certain that they are well.
4) We will communicate with you throughout this time. Angels’ Place exists because of you, our entire network in the James Connection, and it is our responsibility to keep you well informed with facts and plans related to the current and future operation of Angels’ Place. We will be increasing communications during this time in order to affirm our accountability to you, and also to enlist the support of our larger community as we respond to the needs of the children at Angel’s Place and the staff who care for them.
5) We will need your continuing support during and after the pandemic. Your financial support has made it possible for us to build Angels’ Place and to nurture young children who already faced desperate circumstances before the Coronavirus emerged. Your ongoing support is needed now as much as ever. Please consider making a contribution that helps Angels’ Place and our children as they navigate the current pandemic.
We pray for the peace that passes understanding during a time of uncertainty, and for the lovingkindness of God to pass through us and into the world that so needs our generous action.
Please, do not hesitate to reach out to us with your questions and concerns.
