Yida Education Update - December 2020
In 2015, Operation Broken Silence began funding 4 Nuba teachers in Yida Refugee Camp who were giving lessons underneath a tree. With your support, their small effort has blossomed into the Endure Primary and Renewal Secondary Schools.
Today, you empower 24 Nuba teachers who work in these schools. They run the show, not us. These teachers oversee 1,300 students in their classrooms every week.
Endure Primary has become one of the top performing schools in the region and a treasured possession of the Nuba community in Yida. More than 3,000 children have been served by the school to date. Renewal Secondary began a three-year phased opening in 2019 and has already shown great promise.
One of the largest demographics in Yida is children under the age of 14. The vision has always been to ensure that every single child in Yida has the opportunity to attain a quality education at no financial cost to them. Here’s the latest good news.
Thankfully, there are still no reported cases of COVID-19 in Yida Refugee Camp. Yida sits in an isolated area of the Sudan/South Sudan border. Travel in and out has always been extremely limited, so there’s a chance Yida remains untouched by the disease.
Grade 8 at Endure Primary School and grade 4 at Renewal Secondary School are preparing for their national exams, which are just a few weeks away. Students who fail these tests are required to start another year of studies before testing again. Those who pass get the great joy of moving forward in a ceremony that usually brings in thousands of people from across Yida.
Endure Primary has held the highest passing test rates of all Nuba schools for the past three years, including a stunning 97% rate in 2019. This will be the first time students from Renewal Secondary sit in national exams. Morale among the students is reportedly high, with many eager to take their exams now.
Yida is home to several other schools that are not officially connected to our two schools. These other schools receive essentially zero outside support. Because Endure Primary and Renewal Secondary make up the backbone of the education system in Yida, our teachers are supporting Primary 8 and Secondary 4 students from these other schools as they prepare for exams as well.
Today, an additional 600+ students from schools across Yida are receiving testing support from our teachers at Endure Primary and Renewal Secondary.
Earlier this year, our good friends at Instruments of Joy donated a new acoustic guitar to the schools’ growing music and choral program for students. It’s already a favorite among the students, and we hope to partner with Instruments of Joy again in the future.
Girls at Renewal Secondary recently had a workshop about maintaining their health, protecting against sexually-transmitted diseases, and more.
Nuba culture is historically very male-dominated, and healthcare access in the region is limited to a single hospital and a string of community clinics. Opportunities to learn about these things and participate in certain parts of Nuba culture have historically been difficult for young women.
Over the last several years, the war has opened up Nuba culture to some changes in these areas. There are now women serving in the Nuba self-defense army, a growing number of female teachers, and recognition among more Nuba leaders that empowering the next generation of women now will pay off for everyone in the future.
GET INVOLVED
As 2020 comes to a close, these teachers need your support. The Endure Primary and Renewal Secondary Schools are funded by private donors and fundraisers just like you. Operation Broken Silence is the only nonprofit organization in the world funding education efforts in Yida Refugee Camp
You can start a fundraising page, set up a monthly gift, or make a one-time donation. Your generosity will help raise up the next generation of Nuba leaders in Yida Refugee Camp.
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 roughly 1.3 million Christian, Muslim, and traditionalist Nuba people live mostly 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 the only funder of education efforts in Yida Refugee Camp. Your generous support is essential for the teachers. Learn more about our mission here.
