News & Updates
Check out the latest from Sudan and our movement
2019 Eden's Run 5K Results
On September 21, 2019, we hosted our 10th annual 5K fundraiser at Shelby Farms Park in Memphis, TN!
On September 21, 2019, we hosted our 10th annual 5K fundraiser at Shelby Farms Park in Memphis, TN! The weather was perfect and our amazing runners, fundraisers, and volunteers showed up to support 24 teachers and nearly 1,100 students at our two schools in Yida Refugee Camp.
The Race Committee
This was the first year that our talented event committee handled all of the event planning, runner and volunteer recruitment, and most other aspects of the event. As you can see in the results above, their hard work paid off!
This year's committee was led by Operation Broken Silence Board member Jessica Seebeck. The committee included Donya Ahmadian, Lauren Berry, Neal Ganey, Emily Haas, and Aaron Pitman. Thank you!
Every year, a handful of brand partners and sponsors make race day possible! They help cover event costs with monetary or material donations, fundraise for the schools, and more. A huge thank you to this year's group:
Most of the funds you raised and gave have already been sent to the Endure Primary and Renewal High Schools in Yida Refugee Camp. We will continue supporting these two incredible schools in the months ahead. If you would like to remain involved, check out the three simple ways you can do so below!
The people of Sudan are overcoming two of the greatest challenges facing humanity today: war and genocide. Operation Broken Silence is accelerating their ability to generate lasting change by funding storytelling and movement-building, education and emergency response, and grassroots advocacy programs. Here are a few ways you can join us:
1. Enter Our Giving Tuesday Scavenger Hunt! If you live in Memphis, join us for one of the biggest giving weekends of the year! We're celebrating Giving Tuesday with a Scavenger Hunt spanning across our home city. Proceeds will be put toward building a new library at our schools in Yida Refugee Camp. LEARN MORE & REGISTER »
2. Give Monthly To Education In Yida. The Renewal is our unstoppable family of monthly givers who never stop fighting for change. They give automatically each and every month to the two schools we sponsor in Yida Refugee Camp, providing consistent support to 24 teachers and nearly 1,100 students from the Nuba Mountains. Right now, the schools are short about $2,300 in monthly funding. LEARN MORE »
3. Become A Fundraiser! If you can’t give monthly right now, you can start an online fundraising page for the schools in Yida. BECOME A FUNDRAISER »
Sign up for our email list to get updates from Sudan and our movement. You can also follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
Eden's Run 5K Runner Info
Runners, here are your final details.
The 10th annual Eden's Run 5K For Refugee Education is this Saturday, September 21, 2019 starting at 8:30AM!
Don't forget, if you registered through the Free Superhero Fundraising option and haven't reached your $75 goal by race morning, you'll need to make a donation to your page to cover the rest. FIND YOUR PAGE »
Carb Night At The Arcade!
Don't forget that one of the Eden's Run 5K sponsors is throwing a carb night fundraiser for us on September 20! Join us for a spaghetti fundraising dinner at the historic Aracde Restaurant the night before the run. 15% of sales benefit our education program in Yida Refugee Camp.
Race Bags, Arrival, and Check-In
Eden's Run 5K is one of the smaller-sized runs in town. We're not quite big enough yet to do a runner bag pickup the day before, so you'll be able to get your bag during check-in or right after the run!
Runners, you should plan on being at the check-in and registration pavilion between 8:00AM-8:30AM. The race starts a few minutes after 8:30AM just up the hill. Don't forget to show up in your favorite superhero costume or colors! Friendly, leashed dogs and strollers are allowed.
The check-in pavilion is just down the hill and across the street from the Woodland Discovery Playground. See the map below for the pavilion location. We'll have a Sudanese flag and some signs at the entrance of the pavilion. Parking is available at the pavilion and playground.
Just a heads up: there is another superhero-themed 5K in the park on the same morning. They'll be around Hyde Lake (see map above) and pretty far away from us. But just to clarify again: our check-in pavilion is down the hill from the Woodland Discovery Playground. Make it there and you'll be just fine!
Right now the forecast for Saturday morning is sunny skies with the temperature in the high 70s and low 80s. We'll keep monitoring the weather all the way up to race day because, you know, Memphis weather is quirky sometimes.
The Race
Eden's Run 5K follows the beautiful Chickasaw Trail in Shelby Farms. The entire course is paved and will have small, orange cones to follow. Our volunteers will be at a water station roughly halfway through and at two street crossings to help you get across safely.
Don't forget that the run is timed! We'll announce the top 5 fastest male and female runners after the run, and all times will be posted online the week after the run. Every runner also gets a completion medal that will be handed out at the finish line.
After The Run
Head back down the hill to our pavilion for Central BBQ, beer and mimosas if you're 21+, awards, and community! We'll have yard games and frisbees, and our staff will be there to answer any questions you have about Sudan and our work there.
Have questions? Shoot us a message at info@operationbrokensilence.org and we'll be in touch soon!
A huge shoutout to this year's sponsors for helping us make race day possible:
About Us
The people of Sudan are overcoming two of the greatest challenges facing humanity today: war and genocide. Operation Broken Silence is working to accelerate their ability to generate lasting change through storytelling and movement-building, education and emergency relief, and grassroots advocacy programs.
We're a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. Your donation is tax-deductible within the guidelines of U.S. law. DONATE HERE »
Sign up for our email list to get occasional updates from us. You can also follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
Victory! U.S. House Passes Resolution 432
Yesterday, the United States House of Representatives passed House Resolution 432: Condemning the attacks on peaceful protesters and supporting an immediate peaceful transition to a civilian-led democratic government in Sudan. We would like to thank our Tennessee movement members who took the time to call and write their Representatives about H.Res 432.
Yesterday, the United States House of Representatives passed House Resolution 432: Condemning the attacks on peaceful protesters and supporting an immediate peaceful transition to a civilian-led democratic government in Sudan. We would like to thank our Tennessee movement members who took the time to call and write their Representatives about H.Res 432.
Representatives Chuck Fleischmann (TN 3rd District) and Steve Cohen (TN 9th District) became cosponsors of H.Res 432. Our activists across Tennessee received responses from the seven other Representatives from our state that their request had been received and would be considered if the resolution was voted on.
The House of Representatives voted in favor of H.Res 432 in a landslide vote: 414 House members voted yea, only 1 member nay, and 17 members did not vote. All nine Tennessee members of the House of Representatives voted in favor of the resolution.
Earlier in the day, the House voted to suspend the rules and allow for H.Res 432 to move forward for a vote. A number of Representatives gave moving floor speeches denouncing the most recent violence in Sudan and throwing Congressional support to the Sudanese people:
What The Resolution Does
Since 1989, Sudan's military regime has killed and displaced millions of people through multiple genocidal wars and a vast web oppression. The situation has been so horrific that the country's now former dictator Omar al-Bashir faces an arrest warrant from the International Criminal Court.
But despite the ousting of Bashir in April 2019 following continuous mass protests, these violent policies have continued. The Sudanese people's wish for democratic, civilian rule is being thwarted by the Transitional Military Council, a group of army officers, militia leaders, and security officials who previously served Bashir. Peaceful protests continue; however, the regime has responded by shooting and raping defenseless civilians.
House Resolution 432 strongly condemns the violence and human rights abuses against the Sudanese people. This resolution supports the development of a civilian-led, democratic government. H.Res 432 also calls for allowing humanitarian aid to be allowed into the country and urges the U.S. government to support the international community in its fight for democracy and peace in Sudan. It emphasizes that meaningful political reform, transparency, and accountability in the Sudanese government are essential for the establishment of peace, security, economic stability, and democracy in the country.
If you want all the nitty gritty details, you can see the full resolution here.
All that is left to do with regards to H.Res 432 is to spread the word! You can share our social media posts to let your friends and family know:
The crisis in Sudan is far from over. If you would like to stay involved, we have three ways you can directly support the Sudanese people below.
The people of Sudan are overcoming two of the greatest challenges facing humanity today: war and genocide. Operation Broken Silence is accelerating their ability to generate lasting change by funding storytelling and movement-building, education and emergency response, and grassroots advocacy programs. Here are a few ways you can join us:
1. Give Monthly To Education In Yida. The Renewal is our unstoppable family of monthly givers who never stop fighting for change. They give automatically each and every month to the two schools we sponsor in Yida Refugee Camp, providing consistent support to 24 teachers and nearly 1,100 students from the Nuba Mountains. Right now, the schools are short about $2,500 in monthly funding. LEARN MORE »
2. Become A Fundraiser. If you can’t give monthly right now, you can start an online fundraising page for the schools in Yida. BECOME A FUNDRAISER »
3. Live In Memphis? We need your help! Our 10th annual 5K benefiting our schools in Yida is coming up on September 21. If you would like to participate by running or volunteering, TAKE ACTION HERE »
Sign up for our email list to get updates from Sudan and our movement. You can also follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
Summer 2019 Endowment Update
Every day, our staff works with a lingering thought in the back of our minds. What happens to the programs we support in Sudan if we can't afford to keep our doors open?
In 2016, Operation Broken Silence self-started an Endowment Fund as our long-term answer to this challenge. One day, this fund will be large enough to fund our annual overhead costs - costs that include office rent, staff salaries and benefits, and even the toner for our printer.
Every day, our staff works with a lingering thought in the back of our minds. What happens to the programs we support in Sudan if we can't afford to keep our doors open?
In 2016, Operation Broken Silence self-started an Endowment Fund as our long-term answer to this challenge. One day, this fund will be large enough to fund our annual overhead costs - costs that include office rent, staff salaries and benefits, and even the toner for our printer.
We know that this doesn't sound nearly as exciting as the schools we sponsor in Yida Refugee Camp, but our Endowment Fund is important to our long-term health as an organization. Like any startup, we need visionary individuals who believe in and support our staff and their needs, so we can stay focused on what matters most: our mission to empower the Sudanese people to end the crisis they face in our lifetime.
Endowment Fund Update
This is the first public update for our Endowment Fund. Since the Endowment is not one of the Sudanese-led programs we support, updates work different. Instead of putting news out roughly once a quarter, we provide updates as the Endowment passes certain growth milestones. Right now, our pledge is to provide an update at $25,000 growth intervals.
Yesterday, the Endowment Fund topped $25,000 in value for the first time. Here are the big numbers we keep an eye on:
Our Endowment Fund generally grows in three different ways:
1. DIRECT GIVING & FUNDRAISING
Let's say that you give $100 directly to the Endowment. Your gift is applied to the primary mutual fund we invest in so the Endowment grows faster. Our supporters have the option of fundraising for and giving directly to the Endowment, and we put 3% of all public dollars raised per month into the Fund.
2. REINVESTING EARNED DIVIDENDS & INTEREST
Dividends and additional cash income are automatically reinvested into the primary mutual fund in our Endowment. Dividends are received quarterly, with the largest being at the end of the year. Interest from a minimal amount of cash we keep in our Endowment is reinvested monthly. By reinvesting dividends and interest instead of withdrawing it, the Endowment gets extra injections of cash to speed growth up.
3. BY THE FUND'S SHARES INCREASING IN PRICE
As long as we invest wisely and the market performs well, our mutual fund shares will grow in value as the market grows. Broadly speaking, mutual funds are heavily diversified investments that grow slower than individual stocks. This tends to mean that the value of our primary mutual fund shares grow slowly over time, but they are much less likely to lose a large amount of value unexpectedly. Slow and steady wins the race.
Answers To Common Questions About Our Endowment
Is this really just a savings account?
No. Our Endowment Fund is not treated as a savings account or rainy day fund. The Fund's governing policy strictly prohibits using investments until it is large enough to remain sustainable and be used to support our team and their needs.
Who manages the Endowment?
Our Executive Director, Board Treasurer, and a certified financial advisor oversee our Endowment Fund. Our full Board of Directors is also updated on the Fund's performance quarterly. We keep a close eye on things.
How big does the Endowment Fund need to be?
This is a great question that is a little difficult to answer. Factors in deciding when our Endowment can be put into action include the size of our nonprofit, recent market and portfolio performance, our analysis of the situation in Sudan, and economic projections. It also requires our Board voting to update the Endowment's governing policy and our certified financial advisor giving us the green light.
Right now, our Endowment Fund would need to be around $5.8 million for dividends and interest to cover our annual overhead and to provide a cushion for market changes.
Wow, that's a lot of money. Will this ever actually happen?
We certainly have a long way to go before our Endowment can be used, but the answer is yes. As we've outlined above, the Fund is always growing in the background. We haven't had any major donors (individuals who can make a $25,000+ donation) give directly to the Endowment yet, but we have had a few individuals express interest in doing so. It may be years before we can use our Endowment Fund, but we're already used to doing what people have told us will be hard or impossible. It'll happen one day.
Thanks for reading! If you'd like to get involved, check out the options below.
We don't talk about our Endowment Fund often, but its long-term success is critical to our mission. One day, this fund will be large enough to fund our annual overhead costs - costs that include office rent, staff salaries and benefits, and even the toner for our printer. And that will free our team up to focus entirely on our mission. Here's how you can help:
1. Give Online, By Check, Or From Your Portfolio. Making a one-time donation is the perfect first step toward helping us grow our Endowment Fund:
Please make checks payable to Operation Broken Silence, write Endowment Fund in the memo line, and mail it to PO BOX 770900, Memphis, TN 38177-0900.
To donate stock or other investments, please download our Investment Giving Form and complete the simple, 2-step process. DOWNLOAD FORM HERE »
2. Give Monthly. Setting up an automatic monthly gift is the easiest way you can help us continue to grow the Endowment. Giving monthly also comes with perks, like exclusive updates from our staff, a membership pin, and free tickets to our events at $25+ a month. GIVE MONTHLY »
2. Start Fundraising. You can start an online fundraising page for the Endowment Fund! Setting up your page only takes a minute, and then you can ask friends and family to donate. BECOME A FUNDRAISER »
Sign up for our email list to get occasional updates from us. You can also follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
Victory! U.S. Senate Passes Resolution 188
Yesterday, the United States Senate passed Senate Resolution 188: A resolution encouraging a swift transfer of power by the military to a civilian-led political authority in the Republic of the Sudan, and for other purposes.
Yesterday, the United States Senate passed Senate Resolution 188: A resolution encouraging a swift transfer of power by the military to a civilian-led political authority in the Republic of the Sudan, and for other purposes. We would like to thank our Tennessee movement members who took the time to call and write Senators Lamar Alexander and Marsha Blackburn about S.Res 188.
While neither Senator became a cosponsor of this resolution, Senator Blackburn's office responded to several of our movement members thanking them for reaching out and letting them know she would keep their requests in mind if the Resolution came to the full Senate.
We received no reports that Senator Alexander's office responded to their constituents about S.Res 188, nor did we get a response on why the Senator's Nashville office hung up on Tennessee citizens when they called.
What The Resolution Does
Since 1989, Sudan's military regime has killed and displaced millions of people through multiple genocidal wars and a vast web oppression. The situation has been so horrific that the country's now former dictator Omar al-Bashir faces an arrest warrant from the International Criminal Court.
But despite the ousting of Bashir in April 2019 following continuous mass protests, these violent policies have continued. The Sudanese people's wish for democratic, civilian rule is being thwarted by the Transitional Military Council, a group of army officers, militia leaders, and security officials who previously served Bashir. Peaceful protests continue; however, the regime has responded by shooting and raping defenseless civilians.
Senate Resolution 188 calls on a swift transfer of power by the military regime to a transitional civilian-led government. More immediately, it demands the allowance of humanitarian aid into regions that critically require food and medical supplies, a move that would save lives and prevent more deaths. The resolution calls for the officials and authorities who planned and carried out the atrocities of ethnic cleansing and other human rights abuses to be taken to justice for their crimes against humanity. With atrocities continuously committed, awareness must be raised and action taken. If you want all the nitty gritty details, you can see the full resolution here.
All that is left to do with regards to S.Res 188 is to spread the word! You can share our social media posts to let your friends and family know:
The crisis in Sudan is far from over. If you would like to stay involved, we have three ways you can directly support the Sudanese people below.
The people of Sudan are overcoming two of the greatest challenges facing humanity today: war and genocide. Operation Broken Silence is accelerating their ability to generate lasting change by funding storytelling and movement-building, education and emergency response, and grassroots advocacy programs. Here are a few ways you can join us:
1. Give Monthly To The Education In Yida. The Renewal is our unstoppable family of monthly givers who never stop fighting for change. They give automatically each and every month to the two schools we sponsor in Yida Refugee Camp, providing consistent support to 24 teachers and nearly 1,100 students from the Nuba Mountains. Right now, the schools are short about $2,500 in monthly funding. LEARN MORE »
2. Become A Fundraiser. If you can’t give monthly right now, you can start an online fundraising page for the schools in Yida. BECOME A FUNDRAISER »
3. Live In Tennessee? We need your help! There is a companion resolution in the House of Representatives. We need you to call and email your Representative and ask them to cosponsor. TAKE ACTION »
Sign up for our email list to get updates from Sudan and our movement. You can also follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
Internet Is Back On In Sudan
Early on the morning of June 3, Sudan's ruling Transitional Military Council committed a massacre of unarmed protesters in Khartoum.
Early on the morning of June 3, Sudan's ruling Transitional Military Council committed a massacre of unarmed protesters in Khartoum. The killings, mass rape, and public torture continued over the next few days as the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), a paramilitary group that reports directly to the Military Council, put Khartoum under a brutal lockdown. RSF militiamen threw corpses into the Nile River, broke into homes to rape women and children, and openly stole private property across the capital.
During the massacre, the Military Council shut off Sudan's internet to keep footage and photos of their crimes from reaching the world and to prevent protesters from remobilizing. Because of this, very few images of the massacre have reached the outside world. Now that the internet is coming back online in Sudan, Sudanese are beginning to upload images of the crimes they have been subjected to. We do warn you, the following information and images are extremely graphic and disturbing.
فيديو رقم 6 من 43 ...
— wa2ily | مدنيااااو (@wa2ily_) July 9, 2019
" ملف الاعتداءات الجسدية " ..
" منو الغدر بيهم اغتصب قتل وضرب ؟ " ..
- يوم المجزرة في ناس كانت لسه مؤملة في البحرية وما مستوعبة للحصل ..ووقعو في شرك الحاجات الكانت حامية القيادة دي " .. وشافو الموت بي عيونهم ..#توثيق_مجزرة_القياده_العام pic.twitter.com/sB24AcEfrr
جنجويد رباطة#توثيق_مجزرة_القياده_العامه #السودان pic.twitter.com/1Ek8x6psvM
— fadiel alhadi (@fadielalhadi) July 10, 2019
انتهاكات شنيعة لمليشيا الجنجويد في حق مواطنين عزّل، ويظهر تركهم لأحد الضحايا ينزف من جرح في الرأس دون إسعافه.#KeepEyesOnSudan#توثيق_مجزرة_القياده_العامه #نقاوم_لانساوم#قرفنا pic.twitter.com/OLLZi4y9Hg
— Girifna قرفنا (@girifna) July 9, 2019
اصابة قبل شوية - بري pic.twitter.com/dKk1Hm6PbX
— صنديد | M.HishaM🎧 (@M_HISHA_M) June 3, 2019
فيديو رقم 1 من 43 ....
— wa2ily | مدنيااااو (@wa2ily_) July 9, 2019
" ملف لحظات استشهاد الشهداء في القيادة "
- ..استشهاد في العيادة برصاصتين في الصدر ..
توثيق_مجزره_القياده_العامه# pic.twitter.com/nv2Iih57jF
#SupportSudan #June_3rd_Masacre
— SUPPORT SUDAN (@All4Sudan) July 11, 2019
Video showing how brutally the Gen Hemidti-led RSF (Janjawid) & shadowy Islamists’ militias dispersed the Khartoum sit-in on June 3rd Camped protesters were violently assaulted, tortured, killed & raped. @BBCWorld @CTV @nytimes @AP @amnesty @hrw pic.twitter.com/d6EADWQ4dn
إصابة أحد المعتصمين برصاص مليشيا الجنجويد وإسعافه من قبل الطاقم الطبي ويظهر عدد كبير جداً من الإصابات. #مجزره_القياده_العامه #انتهاكات_المجلس_العسكري pic.twitter.com/ElRoypBOQp
— Girifna قرفنا (@girifna) July 9, 2019
فيديو رقم 5 من 43 ...
— wa2ily | مدنيااااو (@wa2ily_) July 9, 2019
" ملف الاعتداءات الجسدية " ..
- مصدر ومكان الفيديو غير معروف ..#توثيق_مجزرة_القياده_العامه pic.twitter.com/HBPSp5S4ZE
What Happens Next
In the coming days and with internet service returning, we expect to see more images from the June 3 massacre and the immediate aftermath.
While a tentative and fragile deal is underway between the Military Council and protesters, we do not expect the junta to abide by it. This regime has broken nearly every agreement it has signed over the last 30 years. The RSF remains deployed in the capital. When many protesters heard news of the agreement, it was met with a muted response. And there are early and worrying signs that the international community is going to begin letting the building pressure off of the junta.
RSF commander Hemeti is still positioning himself to become Sudan's next dictator. Hemeti is technically second-in-command on the Transitional Military Council, but we remain immensely worried that he is the one pulling the strings or he is operating outside of Military Council authority. Hemeti has the backing of powerful Gulf states, and the RSF has its own relations with several international actors that goes beyond official Sudanese government foreign policy.
As for the Sudanese people, continuing to protest despite this fragile agreement and the immense dangers they face from the Military Council is the only option the regime has left them with. This junta has spent the last 30 years wrecking Sudan's economy, stealing from government coffers, shrinking public services, and committing unaffordable and pointless mass atrocity crimes in the name of a crazed, violent ideology that doesn't help anyone. Most Sudanese only have the breath in their lungs left to lose, especially now that the horrors of Sudan's war-torn edges have visited the capital.
Sudan's revolution is far from over. If you would like to directly support the Sudanese people as they seek a better future, discover ways to do so below.
The people of Sudan are overcoming two of the greatest challenges facing humanity today: war and genocide. Operation Broken Silence is accelerating their ability to generate lasting change by funding storytelling and movement-building, education and emergency response, and grassroots advocacy programs. Here are a few ways you can join us:
1. Give Monthly To The Education In Yida. The Renewal is our unstoppable family of monthly givers who never stop fighting for change. They give automatically each and every month to the two schools we sponsor in Yida Refugee Camp, providing consistent support to 24 teachers and nearly 1,100 students from the Nuba Mountains. Right now, the schools are short about $2,500 in monthly funding. LEARN MORE »
2. Become A Fundraiser. If you can’t give monthly right now, you can start an online fundraising page for the schools in Yida. BECOME A FUNDRAISER »
3. Give Once. Not ready to commit with a monthly gift or fundraising yet? That’s okay, making a one-time gift is the best next step to get your feet wet! GIVE HERE »
Sign up for our email list to get updates from Sudan and our movement. You can also follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.