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Angel of the Week: Niangnunhoih

Niangnunhoih“I am lucky. I am in Angels’ Place.”

Niangnunhoih, our Angel of the Week, offers up these words as she considers the transformation of her life since she arrived in 2015. Niangnunhoih came to Angels’ Place from a family of seven children. When her father died, her mother could no longer support all of the children. “We were cold and hungry,” says Niangnunhoih as she remembers that period in her life.

Now 11, she is living a good life with food, education, and friends. While we may think of the basic needs of food and shelter provided by Angels’ Place, Niangnunhoih points us to something else tremendously important: a sense of community. Her life previously lacked friends and the simple joys of companionship. Now she delights in having other children with whom she can study and play. Angels’ Place is nourishing a complete life, and a life with a future.

In school, her favorite subject is Moral Science because “it teaches us to be good and kind.” These words of wisdom come from one who is deeply grateful for the life and possibility that Angels’ Place provides. Those words speak to all of us, reminding us that goodness and kindness are blessings that multiply in the world. Your generosity makes possible the nurturing that Niangnunhoih now enjoys, and she is making goodness a part of the new life that she is building for her future.

If you would like to transform a life and give a gift that cultivates such goodness and kindness, please consider a sponsorship for a child like Niangnunhoih. Angels’ Place not only saves the lives of children; it cultivates their goodness that they might go out into the world to and share their blessings in turn.

Visit our Ways to Help page to learn what you can do.

Angel of the Week: Ginmuansang

Ginmuansang"Thankful!"

This is what Ginmuansang wants the world to know about him -- a good message for all of us during this week of Thanksgiving.  He is thankful for his sponsors who make it possible for him to feel the warmth and love of "home" every child deserves.

Ginmuansang is one of the newest children to join the Angels' Place family.  As you can see from his photo, he radiates a cheerful spirit, but this was not always the case.

When Sang came to the orphanage, he was very quiet, shy and withdrawn.  The caregivers were concerned about him, but given the circumstances of his home life, they realized it might take a while for him to come out of his shell.

Sang's father was a drug addict and eventually left his mother.  He remembers how miserable his home life was back then. Combined with the devastating stress of extreme poverty, Sang's hope for a happy and successful life was very slim.  He was following in his father's footsteps, heading down a path so many young men follow when trapped in the grips of despair and hopelessness.  His future looked bleak.  Like his father he was vulnerable to addiction, living on the streets or in crowded slums and resorting to crime or begging to survive.

Eventually, Sang's mother remarried, a blessing for her but not for her children.  Her new husband did not want Sang, and he was sent to live with his grandparents.  It was not long before they realized they were too old to care for him, and they brought him to Angels' Place.   Though Sang was deeply wounded by the pain of losing his family, this decision was a turning point for him.  It was a blessing in disguise that would lead him toward a new path...one of hope.

It only took a few months before caregivers at Angels' Place began to see a change in Sang's demeanor.  With proper nourishment and a loving peaceful place to call home, this little boy's naturally cheerful and kind spirit began to emerge.

Today, Sang is thriving at Angels' Place.  When asked what he likes most about the orphanage, he responds: "The people are kind."

As you nestle into the warmth and love of your own homes this Thanksgiving, please remember all the children in the world who are cold and lonely.  There are hundreds still on the waiting list at Angels' Place.  You can help us make room for them by visiting our Ways to Help page.

To read more Angel of the Week stories, click on "Angels of the Week" under "Categories" to the right of this page.

Angel of the Week: Dimneihhoih

Angels 165Meet Dimneihhoih, a cheerful, active 7 year old who calls Angels' Place home.

Hoih (for short), did not always have the carefree spirit she naturally shows at the orphanage.  In 2007, her father died and her mother was left alone to care for her and two other siblings.   For a young woman in India, this is a hopeless situation.  Hoih recalls of this time: "I did not remember much.  But this I know...many times we were fearful and hungry."

Out of desperation she brought 4 year old Hoih to Angels' Place so her child could receive the care she could not provide.  It is hard to imagine having to give up your child and her choice speaks to the terrible helplessness so many Indian women feel when they no longer have the support of a husband.  Though it was very difficult for them both, she knew it was the only way to give her child hope for a brighter future.

Today, Hoih radiates her naturally cheerful, sweet spirit.  No longer trapped in fear and helplessness, she clearly makes the most of all the blessings of her new home...good friends, solid meals, a warm bed, a good education.  She loves to sing and dance and watch TV with her friends.  In school, her favorite subject is English and she enjoys reading stories.  She thinks perhaps she will become a Nurse someday, but she is not sure.  All she knows is she now has the support and resources to fulfill any dream she has for herself.

Thanks to Angels' Place and the Jame Connection.

We could not do this work without sponsors and donors to help us cover the extensive costs of running an orphanage.  There are hundreds of kids just like Hoih on our waiting list.  Help us make room for them by visiting our Ways to Help page.

To read more Angel of the Week stories, click on "Angel of the Week" under Categories to the right.

Angel of the Week: Chinlunmawi

Chinlunmawi 2016Imagine coming home from a hard day of work trying to sell vegetables, knowing you did not make enough to be able to feed your four children dinner.  In fact, you probably don't even have enough to feed them breakfast and the next day's only meal will likely be no more than rice with some over-ripe left over vegetable no one else wanted to buy.  Your heart sinks as you see the hopeful faces of your children, thin and frail from malnutrition.  You  are desperate to make a good life for them, and all you can do is pray for a better day tomorrow.

Cinlunmawi's mother faced this painful truth everyday, like so many widowed women in India...she could not provide for her children and they were suffering.  When she heard about Angels' Place, she put her daughter on the waiting list and in 2015, she was accepted into the orphanage.  Though she would surely miss seeing her child on a daily basis, she knew it was the only way to lift her suffering and give her the gift of hope she deserved.

You can see in the image evidence of the secure and colorful life Chinlunmawi now lives.  She shares a solid warm home with other children she now calls "family".  Her day is full of fun crafts and activities, music and dance groups, school and studying, friends with whom she can share a carefree game in the court yard, and always a warm nourishing meal on the table for her three times a day.   For so many women who live in extreme poverty, these are blessings beyond her mother's wildest dreams.

Caregivers at Angels' Place know "Mawi" as a sweet, lovely and active girl who loves to sing and dance.  Mawi wants to some day be an educator and is very grateful for her sponsors who have made her dream a real possibility.  Because of the James Connection, she and her mother now have hope, the greatest gift of all.

If you would like to learn how to help children like Chinlunmawi, please visit our Ways to Help page to learn how.  There are hundreds just like her on our waiting list at Angels' Place, hoping someone like you might help make room for them.

If you would like to read more Angel of the Week stories, click on "Angel of the Week' under Categories on the right of this page.