The James Connection is a 501(c)3 charitable organization that provides food, clothing, shelter, education, and guidance to more than 150 orphans in India. The organization derives its name and its mission from the above Biblical admonition found in James 1:27:
“Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress…” James 1:27
How James Connection Work?
Volunteers, originally from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania but now from
throughout the United States, contribute money and help raise money from others to build and maintain facilities and to provide a range of services for more than 150 children who live at Angels’ Place, a home for orphans in Churachandpur, Manipur, India.
Because the stateside work is done completely by volunteers, more than 95% of the money contributed to the James Connection is sent directly to India to support the ongoing work at Angels’ Place. The only expenses in the United States are for print materials, postage, fund transfers, travel, and bank fees.
What is Angels’ Place?
Angels’ Place is why the James Connection exists.
It is a home and a loving Christian environment for orphans in Churachandpur, a town about 30 miles south of Imphal, the capital city of Manipur, a state in the northeast panhandle of India. Angels’ Place began in 2004 as 8.5 acres of rice paddies in the beautiful foothills of the Himalayas. The James Connection bought this land and built a two story dwelling place for an initial 60 children who took up residency on February 7, 2005. As word spread, the waiting list grew too! In 2006, 15 more children moved in. In 2007, with the construction of another floor, 50 more children joined the Angels’ Place family. The current enrollment is 138 children; sadly, the waiting list is longer than ever.
Thanks to a successful challenge grant and fundraising drive, Angels’ Place is currently putting the finishing touches on a second multi-story building that includes a girls’ dormitory, a safe kitchen and food service area, a dining/meeting/study room with tables and chairs, and an infirmary where sick children can be isolated and where weekly medical exams and screenings and care can be given in sterile conditions. By moving the girls to the new building, they have been able to convert their previous space to a library.
The rest of the property at Angels’ Place is used to support and enrich the lives of the children. Aside from generous playing fields where kids get plenty of physical activity, the area is fully cultivated with banana trees, rice paddies, and vegetable gardens. Children help with farm chores and they help raise pigs, cows, chickens, and even fish. Any patch of land not conducive to sports or food is planted with beautiful flowers that bloom all year round.
Informational Video
Please take a few minutes to watch the following informational video about the work of the James Connection and Angels’ Place:
For more information about these charitable organizations or to sponsor a child, visit the James Connection website.