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Pittsburgh, PA 15146

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Our New Vocational Director

This year Angels’ Place added a new staff member, Sangi Duhlian. Sangi’s primary responsibilities will be overseeing the new vocational program at Angels’ Place and providing academic counseling and mentorship to support the learning of the children there. She was contacted about the position in early 2019, and the opportunity to help the children held immediate appeal. She began her new position earlier this year, and we are delighted to report on the expansion of the staff and the program growth that comes with it.

Sangi comes to Angels’ Place with substantial credentials in education and work experience. She holds a bachelor’s and master’s degree in social work, and completed a second master’s degree (MPhil) in December 2018, right before coming to the orphanage. Her years of education and work include participation in multiple conferences, where she has explored issues of social services and health care in rural India.

Her position at Angels’ Place follows a family history of service to the community. Sangi says that she grew up in a family that always puts faith into action. Her grandparents and parents are “always accepting and helping the needy,” and she continues by saying “they always believe in the principle that when you serve the needy, you serve God.” In her childhood, her father would bring her to spend time with orphans and destitute children, and as she grew, the wish to serve continued. In college and then in her graduate studies, she has pursued study of social work in order to help those in need, especially women and children. “I started developing a strong determination for working for society and giving back to the community to weave change.”

It is wonderful to add Sangi’s sense of generosity and caring to the community of Angels’ Place. In our next article, we will talk more about the program where Sangi will be working.

Jan Returns from India

 

James Connection Executive Director Jan Swensen has returned from India, and he is very pleased with how things are progressing at Angels' Place. He reports that the children look healthy and well nourished, and they have a lot of energy for the many activities at Angels' Place. He also commented on the sense of community among the children, saying "It was wonderful to see how the older kids accept and care for the new children. There is a good family attitude among the kids."

The staff at Angels' Place continues to grow in positive ways, and Jan commented on the outstanding work done by the continuing staff and on the recruitment of committed and caring new staff. "I commend Englian and Siam on their fine work. Each year I see improvements in Angels' Place, which is good for the children," he observes, and then continues by saying that the staff in general "all appear well motivated and qualified." 

Jan met with the principals of the Hermon School and Rayburn College, in order to review the education being provided to the children of Angels’ Place and beyond. The children attend Hermon School from pre-school through class 10. If they qualify to continue their education, they go to Rayburn College High School for classes 11 and 12. Rayburn also provides a college education that many of the children have attended. Education for the children is a high priority for James Connection, and these visits monitor both current learning and future prospects. 

The trip also included a survey of the buildings and grounds, and a review of the children's activities while at Angels' Place.  The goals of these regular visits are to ensure the physical safety of the children, the progress of any construction, and a regular review of maintenance needs. Jan has prepared a maintenance task list and shared it with the staff of Angels’ Place. 

We will be sharing photographs from the visit over the coming weeks. Above you will see an image that attests to the success of Angels' Place made possible through your generosity: this year's graduating class. These are the children who have been shepherded through their childhood, nourished and sheltered at Angels' Place, and now ready to move on to their next steps as young adults. 

We thank you for your ongoing support to make possible this valuable work.  To learn more about ways to help the children in India, visit our Ways to Help page.

 

Angel of the Week: Lal

About the Angel of the Week Project: From 2014-2019 we featured stories about some of the amazing children living at Angels' Place. Each child received a special recognition presented personally by Jan, our founder, when he visited the orphanage the following year. The children were delighted when they were chosen to tell their story!

The first Angel we want you to meet is Lal, a cheerful young boy who dreams of being a scientist one day.

You see, Lal loves animals and he wants to help protect them.  He also knows it takes hard work and a good education to achieve this goal.  It was an impossible dream two years ago before he arrived at Angels' Place.  Today, thanks to his sponsors and the loving support of the caregivers at the orphanage, he dares to consider such a path.

Two years ago, before Lal lost his father to cancer, he was living with his family in a small poor village near the border of Burma (Myanmar).  Food was scarce and Lal remembers often being sick from malnourishment.  Things were pretty bad.  They became even worse when his father passed away and his mother was left with no source of income.   She had no choice but to give up her son.  He had dreams and she could barely feed him let alone get him the education he deserved.

Flash forward to 2019 and Lal is thriving at Angels' Place and talking about his future in a way he would never consider before.  He loves to read and play with his new friends.  The caregivers know him as "a cheerful boy with good leadership qualities".  Most importantly, he is getting the education he needs to pursue his dream of becoming a scientist and helping animals.  His dreams are no longer just the wishful imaginings of a poor destitute child.  Today, thanks to the James Connection, they hold real possibilities and he has the support he needs to make them come true.

There are hundreds of children, just like Lal, on the waiting list to get into Angels' Place.  Children with big dreams but no resources to realize their true potential.  Won't you consider helping one?  Visit our Ways to Help page if you want to learn how.

To read more stories about the children living at Angels' Place, click on "Angel of the Week" under Categories to the right of this page.

Angel of the Week: Siam

Seven-year-old Siam has quickly become the “darling of the home” according to the staff of Angels’ Place. She is a delightful and cheerful little girl who made her way to the orphanage last February. Her mother had died in 2015, and her father was too poor to raise her, her sister, and her two brothers. Since coming to Angels’ Place, she has settled in nicely. She attends school, where her favorite class is math, and she loves to dance.

Like so many of our children, Siam’s favorite thing about her new home is the presence of friends. She remembers her old life as being lonely, and she had no one to play with. Now she has come to a place where she has community and a sense of belonging.

Like so many of our children, dreams of the future are limited, and their focus is only on getting to their next meal. Our “darling” Siam now has started thinking about what comes next, and though still young, she has set herself the goal of becoming a teacher.

Because of the generous support of all of the sponsors and donors of the James Connection, Siam has hope and possibility in her future instead of poverty and isolation. Please, help us spread the word so we can make room for the hundreds just like her still on our waiting list.  Visit our Ways to Help page to learn how you can help us reach more potential sponsors and donors.

To read more stories about the children of Angels' Place, just click on "Angel of the Week" under Categories to the right.