Blog

Children in tailoring class

We are delighted to report that so many wonderful things are happening at Angels' Place, in terms of learning opportunities, activities, facilities upgrades, and the well-being of the children.

The library had a substantial renovation this year, creating more space for books and more reading opportunities for the children. The library collection is growing along with the space, with purchases happening on a steady basis, but we still have many shelves to fill. Every day the staff provides library classes and supervises open reading time. Ms. Lun, the Career Coordinator of Angels’ Place, writes, “It is a beautiful sight and a wonderful feeling when children constantly come and ask to read books or see them sit in the library lost in their books. Reading allows us entry to another world where there are unlimited wonders and opportunities. It can be educational, therapeutic, and entertaining.”

Angels’ Place has also presented a series of special learning opportunities for the children. Some classes involve social skills, like teaching them respect and etiquette. Other learning opportunities include continuing programs in vocational training. One group of the children have been preparing for their testing in tailoring, which has both a written and practical component, and they are working hard to be ready to pass. The baking class continues as well, and the staff reports that things are humming along nicely. Finally, Angels’ Place recently hosted a master class in woodworking, presented by a local master craftsman.

Construction this year has included substantial work to improve the roads and outdoor areas at the campus. The major achievement has been the construction of a new road, and the staff relayed their heartfelt thanks to all of the generous sponsors who made that possible. Other facilities improvements include a number of railings that have been installed and the replacement of a few others that date back to the original construction of the orphanage.

All of these learning opportunities and improvements to the facilities have enriched the lives of so many children! We have you to thank for giving them a life of safety, opportunities for growth, and the prospect of much brighter futures.

To learn more about Angels' Place and ways to get involved, visit our Ways to Help page.

Wonderful things are happening at Angels' Place and we wanted to share!

Two of our children won top prizes in a competition at a cultural festival sponsored by India's Ministry of Education to empower youth. One in drawing and one in essay writing. Another received the highest grade in a computer application program sponsored by a local engineering / consulting firm.

At Angels' Place, the children had an opportunity to participate in a team building craft project where they designed and built an architectural model. It was a huge success and all had fun while learning to work together. Others participated in weekly reading sessions where they not only got to have focused reading time but also practice expressing themselves through storytelling and reporting on their daily activities.

In the vocational program, children are making wonderful progress in the sewing and tailoring class, where they are learning to make things like pillows, dresses and repair their own clothes. Others completed a five-month baking course where they learned to make all kinds of delicious treats and the latest group of children in the Basic Computer course have passed their exams with flying colors. New groups began their baking and computer courses last month and we are excited to see what they accomplish in the next report!

We are so proud of our Angels and so grateful to all of our patrons and sponsors who help make all this happen.

If you would like to read the full report from Angels' Place, including details on specific children, click here.

The first sip of new purified water

Angels' Place has a new water purification system! With a generous grant from Toyota we have installed a complex reverse osmosis plant to guarantee our children pure water. Presently, water is collected for the campus from three sources: public water supply which we store in a large tank at the highest point of the campus, a spring which we tapped into three years ago, and collected rain water from the girls' dorm. We have installed a large reservoir next to the girls' dorm which receives the collected rain water as well as water from the spring and public source. From this reservoir we force the water through the reverse osmosis filtration plant. The purified water is then available for use in the girls' dorm and is pumped uphill to the boys' dorm. It is a large and complicated system, but it will give us safe water for a long time and our physician should see far-fewer waterborne illnesses among our children and staff.