Extra Details About Soirée For Sudan
The 9th annual Soirée For Sudan is May 5-9, 2021. Below, you can find additional details about our mission and the event.
THE CAUSE
Yida Refugee Camp is a place that should not exist. Tens of thousands of refugees live here after fleeing a brutal war that the Sudanese government launched on the Nuba Mountains region in 2011.
A fragile ceasefire has been in place in the Nuba Mountains since 2016. Mass protests swept across Sudan in 2019, ushering in a transitional government made up of surviving regime officials and new civilian leaders.
Despite these positive developments, little has changed in the Nuba Mountains and Yida Refugee Camp. Targeted violence by surviving regime paramilitaries continues. A peace agreement remains elusive. Many refugees still cannot return home.
The largest demographic in Yida is children under the age of 16.
Operation Broken Silence sponsors the high-performing Endure Primary and Renewal Secondary Schools in Yida Refugee Camp. We know that empowering local solutions — not swooping in and fixing problems on our own — is the only long-term answer to the immense challenges in Sudan. That’s why these two institutions are led entirely by Sudanese teachers.
Both schools make up the backbone of the fragile education system in Yida. Over the years, students at Endure Primary and Renewal Secondary have achieved the highest standardized testing scores in the Nuba region. Teachers from across the area have travelled to our two schools to learn how to improve their own classes.
We’ve delivered emergency supplies to other classrooms through Endure Primary and Renewal Secondary, and the teachers we support have pitched in their time at other schools as well. The positive impacts of the progress achieved every day here extend well beyond the walls of our classrooms.
Operation Broken Silence is still the only nonprofit in the world funding community-led education efforts in Yida. Without Endure Primary and Renewal Secondary, the entire education system here would collapse.
That’s why we have fought hard to grow these schools over the years. Today, we support 24 Nuba teachers who oversee roughly 1,300 students every day.
The wait list for students to get in is hundreds of names long. Roughly 50% of all students are female, a rare achievement for schools in Sudan. And there are certainly future community leaders in our classrooms.
In March 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic careened into our mission. As the world went into lockdown, we watched giving and fundraising screech to a halt overnight. Soirée For Sudan was postponed as well. And just like that, the teachers and students lost almost 60% of the funding they rely on.
The good news is that we worked hard to prepare for a comeback in 2021. Those preparations are now paying off. We’ve already restored almost 30% of the funding the schools lost. Your participation in Soirée For Sudan will help us continue closing the gap.
VIRTUAL DEMOS
Each demo has been professionally recorded and uploaded to Vimeo. We’ve made it incredibly easy to participate:
You do not need a Vimeo account to watch.
You’ll receive a link and password to a video each day.
Our team will email you an ingredient list for each demo the week before Soirée For Sudan. You can follow along as you watch the videos!
The recipes, instructions, and videos are yours to keep forever. Way better than a one-time Zoom thing, right?
SILENT AUCTION
The Silent Auction will be hosted online through our partner 32Auctions. This year’s auction includes top-notch art, a butcher box, and so much more! Here’s how it works:
We’ll send you a link to the Silent Auction on May 3 and reminders throughout event week.
You’ll be able to see photos, place competing bids, sign up for item alerts, and more.
Bidding runs through May 9. Once the Silent Auction closes, you’ll receive a notification if you won!
The Silent Auction is for our U.S. supporters only. If you win, we’ll be in touch the following week about delivering it to you.
T0-GO BRUNCH
We’re excited to partner with our good friends at Off The Square Catering for a Mother’s Day Brunch on May 9!
To-go brunch is for our Memphis supporters only and is available with select tickets. There is a vegan option available as well.
Additional details including menu items you can choose from are available during the ticketing process.
Have Questions?
We’re so grateful that you have chosen to join us for the 9th annual Soirée For Sudan. Please reach out to us at concierge@operationbrokensilence.org if you have any questions. We’ll be in touch soon!
