Blog

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.

Did you ever wonder how the kids at Angels’ Place react when they get letters from their sponsors? Well, a picture is worth a thousand words so we wanted to share a few that might inspire you to write your child if you haven’t. Or, write again the next time letters go to India. For those who are not sponsors yet, perhaps they will move you to become a sponsor yourself. There are many children waiting!

Times are particularly tough for our Angels right now. There is so much hardship in their lives to begin with. Add uncontrolled violence in their community, restrictions on food and health care and disruptions to their education and it can be overwhelming. The loving words, photos and stories are small but powerful treasures of joy in lives otherwise flooded with chaos and uncertainty. They lift them up and give them hope in a world that often feels unbearably cold and cruel. They show them the power of love through words.

We can tell you how much these letters mean. The children themselves can tell their sponsor when they write back. But the looks of excitement in these pictures are the real story ...the story of pure joy a small gesture can bring to a child who really needs something to smile about.

Letters will go out again in February. Mark you calendar now for the February 1, 2024 deadline!