Mother of Mercy Hospital Update - December 2020
Operation Broken Silence supports Mother of Mercy Hospital in the Nuba Mountains. Mother of Mercy is the only referral hospital in this oppressed corner of Sudan. The growing local staff is overseen by American Dr. Tom Catena. Together, they see over 400 patients a day.
Here’s a recent update from Dr. Tom:
The situation here in Nuba has been pretty stable for the past year. The Transitional government in Khartoum and the SPLA-N rebels have met recently for peace talks but were unable to reach any conclusions. The SPLA-N is demanding that Sudan have a secular (not Islamic) government which respects freedom of religion, but the government seems unwilling to take that step now.
The good news is that the ceasefire is holding and the people feel that peace is a real possibility for the first time in a couple generations. Some even express pity that we are having so many troubles in the US!
The hospital work continues on. The relative peace has made us even busier as patients from the government controlled areas are now free to come to us.
We’re managing well as we continue to get more trained staff, including our first trained Nuba doctor.
To address the huge shortage of health care personnel in Nuba, we are in the early stages of starting a school to train midwives and clinical officers and eventually nurses. We have the plot of land which has been given to us by the community and hope to start construction soon.
Thank you all, and may your holidays be blessed.
Dr. Tom
GET INVOLVED
As 2020 comes to a close, the incredible team at Mother of Mercy needs your support. The hospital is funded entirely by private donors and fundraisers just like you.
You can start a fundraising page, set up a monthly gift, or make a one-time donation. Your generosity will be used to save and change lives in the Nuba Mountains of Sudan.
Thursday, December 31 is the last day you can make a tax-deductible gift to Operation Broken Silence’s work in Sudan for the 2020 calendar year.
For 2020, the limitation on how much of your charitable gifts you can deduct has been lifted. Previously, it was a maximum of 60% for cash donations and 50% for non-cash gifts. Under the CARES Act, these limitations have been removed for federal income tax purposes.
Even if you don’t itemize, anyone who donates up to $300 can deduct it against other income for 2020. This is considered an Above the Line deduction.
Here are a few other ways you can give as well:
Make checks payable to Operation Broken Silence and mail to: Operation Broken Silence P.O. Box 770900 Memphis, TN, 38177-0900
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. 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.
