May 2020 Mother of Mercy Hospital Update
In October 2016, Operation Broken Silence launched the Heart of Nuba Campaign. This online fundraising movement supports Mother of Mercy Hospital in the oppressed Nuba Mountains of Sudan. Here’s a recent story from Dr. Tom:
Hi friends,
I wish you could meet Ali in person. He just finished interning with me here at Gidel Hospital and has graduated as a clinical officer. He has a big smile and an even bigger heart. His gentle compassion and commitment to serving his people makes him one of my favorite people that I’ve worked with.
I actually first met Ali when he came to the hospital as a patient suffering from appendicitis. He needed emergency surgery and we were able to save his life. He says that experience is what made him pursue medicine.
Ali grew up in an area in Sudan called Western Jebel and saw firsthand, as a child, the trauma and devastation of the war there. Healthcare at that time was non-existent and he saw people dying without anyone to help.
Thankfully, with Gidel Hospital and our team here, that is no longer the case.
“Initially, it was very difficult for the Nuba population to reach any health services,” said Ali. “And this is the only hospital that is able to perform major surgery in the region.”
Ali and I went on rounds together, he diagnosed patients and helped me during operations.
Ali would like to pursue further schooling and study psychiatry. He’s lived through two wars and has seen many soldiers and families who experience post-traumatic stress and feels called to help them improve their mental health.
It’s really been a blessing to have someone like him to work alongside and gives me great hope for the future of Nuba. He is now being posted in another part of Nuba where he will be the only clinical officer for a very large area. Having local people trained and equipped to take care of their community is essential for the long-term sustainability of the hospital and healthcare system here. Ali says his favorite part of the job is knowing he is serving his people and getting to see their faces when they leave healed and well.
Thank you for your support, which makes it possible to train and teach Ali and others like him. Because of your compassion, the families here have hope for a better future.
Even as we’re caring for patients, we’re also working hard to prepare for the possibility of COVID-19 here in Nuba.
We’re grateful for your prayers and help in this season and are continuing to keep you and your loved ones in our prayers as well.
Thank you,
Dr. Tom Catena
CoVID-19 Update
Mother of Mercy is the only referral hospital in the Nuba Mountains.
They have no personal protection equipment, hand sanitizer, or simple soap. There are no ICU beds and no ventilators. And now the coronavirus pandemic has reached Sudan.
Prevention is absolutely critical to protecting the already vulnerable Nuba people. The Nuba rebel government has closed entry points into the mountains, shuttered markets and roads, and is restricting access to the few schools in the area. The hospital staff are making masks out of spare pieces of cloth. Dr. Tom has made the stakes clear: "If the virus reaches us here, we will be in dire straits."
Simply put, the team at Mother of Mercy Hospital needs you now more than ever. If you are in a position to help, please choose a way to get involved:
About Nuba
The Nuba Mountains are home to roughly 100 African tribal groups who have lived there for over 2,000 years.
The one million Christian, Muslim, and traditionalist Nuba people live in harmony together.
Sadly, the Nuba way of life has been in danger for decades. Sudan’s military and extremist regime officials have long viewed the Nuba people as a threat to their iron-fisted rule. The military and their extremist paramilitary allies have committed two genocides in the region since the 1990s.
Sudanese dictator Omar al-Bashir was overthrown in a military coup in April 2019. Sudan now has a fledgling transitional government that is supposed to be moving the country toward civilian, democratic rule. This new government has not lifted the humanitarian blockade on the Nuba Mountains, nor has a permanent peace been achieved. A fragile ceasefire is in place right now, but war clouds still loom over the Nuba Mountains.
Operation Broken Silence focuses on the Nuba Mountains and nearby Yida Refugee Camp. We are one of the hospital’s financial partners. Your generous support is essential for the team at the hospital. Learn more about our mission here.
