Nuba Education Update - June 2023

Jun 15

Friends and supporters,

We have some wonderful updates from the teachers who serve in our education program below, but we first need to acknowledge what a difficult time this is for the Sudanese people.

Two months after regime security forces began fighting each other across the country, the situation in the Nuba Mountains and Yida Refugee Camp remains tense, but peaceful. The schools we support have not been hit by the escalating conflict; however, program expenses are going up due to the war. Fuel has doubled in price and the costs of some basic supplies are up roughly 50%. We’re beginning to see small numbers of refugee families arriving in Yida from elsewhere in Sudan, too.

Can you make a quick donation to these heroes of education? Your gift will be matched by a private donor! The schools need to stay fully operational despite rising costs, and it is critical to support change makers on the ground in this moment of severe crisis.

$200 provides a teacher's salary for one month.
$150 helps deliver new chalkboards and repair classrooms.
$100 provides pencils, notebooks, and other basic school supplies.
$50 gives the gift of sport by providing nets, balls, and more.

OTHER WAYS TO HELP

Make personal and DAF checks payable to Operation Broken Silence, write Education in the memo line, and mail to P.O. Box 770900 Memphis, TN, 38177-0900.
Start a fundraising page and ask friends to give!
Join The Renewal, our monthly giving family that never stops fighting for change.
Donate stock.
Give cryptocurrency.

Operation Broken Silence is a registered 501(c)3 nonprofit organization. Your donation is tax-deductible within the guidelines of U.S. law.

Okay, now for the updates.

In 2015, Operation Broken Silence began funding four Sudanese teachers in Yida Refugee Camp. They were giving lessons underneath a tree with a broken chalkboard. They had no textbooks, paper, pencils…nothing.

With your support, their small but bold effort has blossomed into the Endure Primary and Renewal Secondary Schools. 24 Nuba teachers work here every day —supported by an additional 6 staff— and they run the show, not us. Over 750 students are currently in their classrooms every week. Endure Primary is the top performing elementary school in the region and a treasured possession of the Nuba community. Renewal Secondary is the only fully-functioning high school in Yida. More than 10,000 children have been served by the school to date.

Operation Broken Silence is the only organization in the world supporting childhood education in Yida Refugee Camp. Beyond these schools, we support Yida’s only other secondary school, a national exam preparation program for all primary school students at other schools in Yida, and deliver classroom supplies to other schools in Yida and the Nuba Mountains. It’s been a busy, but fruitful year so far.

Amjuma’s Story

Amjuma was born in Yida Refugee Camp. Her family arrived in Yida nearly 9 years ago after the Sudanese government bombed their village. She has never seen her homeland, saying:

“My mother talks about home a lot but the people fighting in Sudan make her worried. We will stay here until it is quiet. I know Yida is not my true home.”

Today, as her family waits to return to the Nuba Mountains, Amjuma is enrolled at the Endure Primary School. She loves her teachers and the friends she has made here. Both provide a sense of normalcy in a time of great upheaval in Sudan.

“The teachers are always here before the students. They smile as we walk in every day. ‘Let’s prepare you to change our country!’ they say. I want to be a teacher one day. They can change our nation in ways the men with guns never will.”

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Recent News

Schools In Yida. It’s been a bittersweet year as many families have departed Yida and returned to their villages in the Nuba Mountains. Attendance at Endure Primary is hovering at almost 500 students daily, while Renewal Secondary is holding steady at 260 students daily.

Repairs were recently completed in classrooms at Renewal Secondary that needed extra support. This included more weatherproofing, new roofs, and 3,000 new bricks made for replacement walls. This was made possible with some extra giving from our donors. The teachers and students thank you!

In May, the teachers at Renewal Secondary hosted another community-wide health awareness workshop for students, their parents, and close friends. This workshop covered basic sanitation practices and latrine-use. And annual sports activities have also kicked off at the schools! Here are a few photos from a recent soccer match.

Broader Education Support In Yida. Endure Primary School continues to serve as the central national exam preparation facility for primary students in Yida. The camp’s eight other primary schools receive support and resources annually for student test prep. This ancillary program has positively impacted nearly 700 additional students this year!

The only other high school in Yida remains afloat with our support. Vision Secondary School was founded several years ago with pledges of support from other outside nonprofits and churches, none of which materialized. Sadly, this is but one chapter in a long history of unfulfilled promises to the Nuba people. This isn’t the first mess created by others that our Nuba education partner is having to clean up. Some of the teachers we support at Renewal Secondary are serving in classrooms at Vision to fill gaps left behind by Vision’s unpaid teachers who have since left. The temporary assistance we are providing is bringing much needed stability to students there.

Classroom Supply Delivery In Yida And Nuba. Our Nuba education partner is also delivering a limited amount of school supplies to other schools in Yida, most of which operate with little to no outside support as well. Additional supplies are also being delivered to the new Tabulla Primary School in the Nuba Mountains. This is one of the villages that will also benefit from the water project we just wrapped up fundraising for. To date, a number of items have been delivered to these other schools including books, chalk, sporting equipment, and other basic supplies like pencils and paper.

*Photo: Students at the Endure Primary School in Yida Refugee Camp.*

How You Can Help

Funding for the teachers and students remains an uphill battle due to the war in Ukraine, which is sucking up much of the attention of globally-minded donors. Rising costs coupled to fewer donations means our Nuba education partner is running on roughly 65% of the funding they need. The good news is that this is a problem you can help us solve.

The best way to help is to join The Renewal. This is our passionate family of monthly givers supporting teachers and kids in Yida. When we match their grit with a monthly financial commitment, we become an unstoppable force for good.

You’ll receive a donation receipt each month and an annual giving statement at the beginning of each year. Giving monthly also comes with perks!