Farewell 2022
Supporters and friends,
Where did 2022 go? Our mission went by faster this year than any I can remember.
As we prepare to enter a new year, I want to pass along the sincere gratitude of our Sudanese partners. Here are a few highlights that they asked me to share with you:
Incredible progress is still being achieved at the Endure Primary and Renewal Secondary Schools, despite many families departing Yida Refugee Camp for their villages in the Nuba Mountains. Attendance at both schools is holding steady at roughly 900 students every day, classroom repairs were recently completed, and roughly 1,400 students at other schools in Yida received national exam preparation support thanks to you.
At Mother of Mercy Hospital in the Nuba Mountains, the long-dreamed of clinical school is finally open and training the next generation of healthcare workers in the region. Additional construction on a new operating theatre and labour and delivery ward is nearing completion. And the eye care program is now sometimes treating upwards of 50 patients a day!
With your help, we continue to make progress on the clean water project one of our Sudanese partners plans to complete in 2023. Final preparations are being made on the ground now as what should be the final donations roll in. When complete, roughly 7,000 people across five villages in the Nuba Mountains will have clean water.
This is but a small snapshot of the life-changing work done in our mission every day. None of this would have been possible without your generous support! Thank you.
A Strange, But Good Year For Our Movement
If there is a single word that can sum up the past twelve months here at Operation Broken Silence, it is strange. Like many small international nonprofits that are critical to the communities we serve, our mission faced strong headwinds outside of our control.
Inflation, the war in Ukraine, overblown fears of a recession, and cultural sorting in the United States posed significant challenges to our movement-building work. Many of our creative approaches that bore fruit last year gained less ground in 2022. Doors that were once open to us are closed, even as new ones opened. The usually quiet summer months were unusually productive. The busy end of year season has been a bit quieter than usual.
As I was recently telling one of our monthly donors, not much really makes sense right now. There is neither a rhyme nor a rhythm to our work. This doesn’t appear to be cause for concern though. The numbers are shaping up to be a fairly normal year, even though how we got here has been anything but normal. Reflecting on conversations with some of you during events and fundraising, I believe this is a testament to your dedication. Behind numbers are real people just like you.
Not only did we see some new faces join our movement, but our core supporters stuck with us. Membership in The Renewal monthly giving program was impressively stable. Our online fundraisers nearly doubled their impact, making up for lost support from shrinking faith institutions and family foundations that redirected support to Ukraine. And while bad weather plagued our return to in-person events, dedicated supporters turned out.
Again, you made this year possible. Thank you.
Looking Ahead
2023 will likely be another year of unpredictable and chaotic moments. Sudan remains in the top 10 list of countries at greatest statistical risk for mass killing. We don’t know how things will shake out in Khartoum with the vague new agreement. The political system in the U.S. is already gearing up for another heated presidential election. A recession is still a possibility, although we aren’t deeply concerned as recession predictions continue coming up short, the economy is humming along, and inflation is easing.
This season is one in which we can learn about the complex and sometimes harsh environment we are in. Our Sudanese partners have been doing this for some time now. Rather than committing to a hard plan in 2023, we will pursue a few key principles:
Be rooted in the basics. It is clear that making big plans and bold proclamations is not the best idea right now. Instead of anxiously fighting against forces far outside of our control, we’ll be taking everything one day, one week, and one month at a time within the context of what we have always done: serving our Sudanese partners and you to the best of our ability.
Be nimble. We jumped at several last minute fundraising opportunities this year that really paid off. Looking back, there were also a few that we missed. Next month we will streamline some of our internal processes to put some free time back into our leadership team. In the midst of uncertainty there is opportunity, and we need more space to seize every one of them.
Be and think small. We have no plans to expand in 2023. We will focus on sustaining and strengthening our core programming in Sudan and in our global movement. While we have the cash on hand to add a new full-time staffer, we currently have no plans to hire. There are still too many unanswered questions about the future and what are staffing should look like.
In summary, our focus in 2023 is making incremental progress. This perhaps doesn’t sound as exciting as previous years, but there is so much good work left to be done with what we already have in our mission.
As we stand on the cusp of a new year and the hope that comes with it, would you consider making one final tax-deductible donation to Operation Broken Silence? Donations are being matched by a private donor, instantly doubling your impact! Your gift will help one of our Sudanese partners bring clean water to roughly 7,000 people in 2023.
Like many of you, I’m excited for the new year that lies ahead. I hope these last few days of 2022 are restful and spent with loved ones. Take care.
Onward,
Mark C. Hackett
Executive Director
