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To the generous supporters of our children at Angels’ Place:

In an ongoing effort to keep you informed, we have reached out to Sanga to get some answers to the many questions you have about the children at Angels' Place during the epidemic.

Sanga reports that 41 children (grades 7-10) whose progress in school is most vulnerable have returned to the orphanage. Their return raised many questions. Here they are along with Sanga’s answers.

Q: Were children’s and staff’s temperatures taken upon arrival/return to Angels’ Place?

A: Temperatures of children and staff were taken. We also check the temperature of the children and staff every day with our Non-Contact IR Thermometer. Each staff and children are also provided masks. Staff returning after performing work outside the campus is also screened and hands sanitized. 

Q: Who is in charge of the children?

A: Englian is in charge. He is there daily, going through screening at the gate. Siam is back at Angels' Place. His family is with him. [Note: Englian and Siam are two of the senior staff members of Angels’ Place.]

Q: Is there a two week strict quarantine plan in place to observe and uncover any developing illness? Are temperatures taken daily, and is hand sanitizer used?

A: A strict quarantine plan is in place. Temperatures are taken daily and hand sanitizers are used. According to available data, 80% of the positive cases in India are mild in nature. Experts attribute this to high immunity. This is positive news in India yet we remain cautious!

Q: What is being done to teach all kids and staff about social distancing, washing hands and not touching faces?

A: We have conducted a sensitization session on coronavirus with our nurse Mawipi and also an online session with Dr. Biak, my son, who is currently practicing medicine at a state-run hospital in Delhi. Info-graphics are also on display at our buildings. We are very strict about anyone entering our campus. We have also sealed our campus and a notice posted on our main gate to avoid any unnecessary visitors.

Q: Are they bunking, studying, eating 6 feet apart?

A: Children are strictly following social distancing norms. They are also performing their school assignments regularly with materials provided by their teachers online. The staff members assist them with the help of their mobile phones and our computers.

Q: The staff is teaching the kids. Are there tutors in addition to the staff?

A: There are no tutors in addition to the staff members at the Angels’ Place. However, we are thinking of starting tuition next month to recoup the time lost due to lockdown. If we do, we will strictly follow the screening of temperatures and hand sanitizing.

We will continue to keep you updated as information becomes available, but feel free to reach out anytime with your question and concerns.

Thank you for your generous support in this difficult time.

The James Connection

To our generous supporters of the children at Angels’ Place:

We write with an update concerning the management of Angels’ Place during the Coronavirus quarantine. The state of Manipur, where Angels’ Place is located, has largely been isolated from the pandemic, and the children are all doing fine. Only two cases of Covid-19 have been reported in Manipur, and one of those later tested negative. Staff members continue to live at Angels’ Place in order to maintain the facility, and everything remains in good working order. The lemongrass crop will not be harmed or neglected during this time, and we expect harvest in either late May or early June.

As we wrote in our last message, the children are currently with their legal guardians. Since the children came to Angels’ Place from desperate conditions, James Connection is working with Angels’ Place staff in order to provide food for the children during the time of home quarantine. Rice and daal have been purchased and distributed to the children through their legal guardians. The amount of food is comparable to what Angels’ Place normally buys during a month, and so the expense is consistent with normal operating expenses for the orphanage.

The children’s guardians visit Angels’ Place and pick up the rice and daal on a weekly basis if they are able. In the event that a guardian cannot pick up the food but lives nearby, then the food is delivered. Angels’ Place staff is in contact with the government about the prospect of delivering food to the children who come from villages farther away. We are grateful to be able to continuing supporting the children in this way, and this direct food aid will relieve their families of food anxiety during such a difficult time.

We still do not have any clear schedule for the return of the children to Angels’ Place. The lockdown order in India had been extended through early May, and we will communicate any plans for the children’s return as soon as we learn them. As these children are among the most destitute young people in the area, we are eager to have them return as soon as possible in order to provide the full range of support that Angels’ Place has to offer.

We are including with this message a series of photos that show the storage of rice at Angels’ Place and that show the guardians coming to pick up the food. We are grateful to know that the children are safe and are receiving adequate food during this time, but we look forward to their return as soon as it is safe and feasible. We thank you for your ongoing support. The operation of Angels’ Place and the nourishment of these children, in body and spirit, remains our ongoing mission. You generosity will help us to care for these children who live in such vulnerable circumstances.

With prayers for strength and lovingkindness in order to meet this time of need,

The James Connection

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.