Movement Spotlight: Kush Bhatia

Operation Broken Silence may be a small organization, but with the help of our awesome movement, we’re able to make big waves to empower the people of Sudan. Some of the most involved and enthusiastic members of our movement can be found across the country!

Kush Bhatia is a student at White Station High School here in Memphis and serves as a Model UN representative in his junior year. We first met him in 2019 when he was participating in Tennessee Governor's School For International Studies. He says:

My role in White Station’s Model UN club is one of the 11th Grade Representatives. With this role, I communicate with incoming freshmen, sophomores, and juniors who are new to Model UN and debate in general. Working alongside the other grade-level representatives, we teach new delegates the procedure of Model UN and provide tips and tricks for them to succeed in the committee while also having a fun time.

WSHMUN has been a tradition at our school for the past five years and we want it to become bigger and better every year. Our goal is to invite schools from the Memphis area to compete in a one day conference where they can gain some experience before competing at rigorous three-day conferences across the nation. This year turned out as a success, it was not our biggest turnout but we were still able to have a fun time and teach new delegates how Model UN works. We hope that next year we are able to have more schools and delegates show up.  

I think it is important to discuss global issues in high school especially because we are the future. Understanding political, social, and economic issues at an early age allows for high schoolers to be experienced once they go to college or begin working as well. Knowing what is currently happening in your local community or city is important, but understanding global issues, especially in today's world, is what is truly important. Also, through Model UN, individuals are able to research and understand the issues that they may have never heard about or were not as educated about in the first place. 

Photo: Model UN student leader Krishna Dasari (left) and Jonathan Zhang (right) with our Executive Director Mark Hackett (center) at the conference.

Kush and his Model UN peers asked us for some help to introduce our cause and Sudan to students from across the city. He says: 

"I contacted Operation Broken Silence a couple of months before our conference because I had worked with them earlier in the summer with the Governor’s School for International Studies. What I was able to learn from the one day I spent with the OBS team in the summer, I immediately knew that I had to have Mark or anyone else from the team come talk to the delegates about the pressing issues in Sudan. Also, what OBS does is perfect for a Model UN setting as it deals with issues in foreign nations and gives insight into places not discussed as much. 

I think hearing about Sudan was a major wake up call for some students as they were able to see issues in a nation that isn’t discussed at all basically in high school. Hearing the personal experiences Mark shared with everyone was really able to connect to the students, and they were able to place themselves in the shoes of the people in Sudan with the descriptions Mark gave. Also, seeing what OBS has already accomplished gave students new ways of thinking about how to help make a difference. Whether it be small or big, students were able to see that differences can be made in places you think issues may never change, such as Sudan."

Kush's conference had an incredible turnout and raised $185 for the Endure Primary and Renewal High Schools in Yida! Thank you to Kush and your peers for using your talents and community to empower Sudanese students and teachers!

Whether your are part of a campus group or just want to get some friends together to host an event, you can email me at atetzeli@operationbrokensilence.org and I can help you get started!

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. You can join us by starting a fundraising page for our schools in Yida Refugee Camp and asking your friends and family to donate.

Sign up for our email list to get updates from Sudan and our movement. You can also follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

Help Make Classrooms in Yida Refugee Camp Safer

Hello movement members! 

I hope October is off to a good start for all of you. We've had a small, but important need pop up at our schools in Yida Refugee Camp. It requires a little extra effort from us to fix. 

About this time last year, a bad rainstorm swept through Yida and caused severe damage to the Endure Primary School. Thankfully no one was hurt, but the storm temporarily slashed attendance by about 50%. Because of your extra fundraising and giving, our Sudanese education partner was able to repair the damage and get classrooms back to normal for hundreds of students fairly quickly.

Another rainstorm recently hit Yida and damaged another school in the camp. Thankfully all of the classrooms at Endure Primary and Renewal High, our newest school in Yida, made it through okay. 

The rainy season is now coming to an end; however, our education partner doesn't want to leave our schools vulnerable to weather events like these. We've already personally experienced how damaging they can be. In light of another school being damaged by dangrous weather, our education partner has asked us to help weatherproof the classrooms we are committed to serving.

How You Can Help

This is one of those times that money will just fix the problem. We need $1,250 in extra funds to provide waterproof tarps to our education partner in Yida.

These tarps will be added into the roofing of all the classrooms at Endure Primary & Renewal High Schools. $1,250 will also allow our partner to purchase extra tarps that can be kept on hand for when new buildings are added. This is a problem worth getting ahead and staying ahead of. Here's how you can help:

1. Make a donation! Giving online is the fastest way to help make these classrooms safer for students and teachers. GIVE HERE »

2. Give monthly. There are many ongoing costs at the school such as teacher salaries, schools supplies, and urgent needs that pop up like this one. You can make sure you are always helping by setting up an automatic monthly gift! LEARN MORE »

3. Become a fundraiser. If you aren't in a position to give from your wallet, you can help by giving the schools a little bit of your time! You can start an online fundraising page and ask your friends and family to give. BECOME A FUNDRAISER »

Virtually all of the funds we have raised this year have already been sent to the schools or are committed to other projects. In the bigger picture of our annual fundraising, this is a relatively small need that we hope can get knocked out in the next few days.

I hope you can join us in this little extra push. It will make life a lot safer for the kids and teachers at the Endure Primary and Renewal High Schools. 

Onward, 
Mark C. Hackett
Executive Director, Operation Broken Silence
info@operationbrokensilence.org

Say Hello to Your Soirée for Sudan 2020 Committee

Meet the incredible team behind Soirée For Sudan 2020! As you’ll soon see, they’re a pretty fun group. Thanks to their hard work and dedication, the impact they are having will be felt throughout the planning experience and into the big evening.

Sara James

Where are you originally from? 

Columbia, TN

What do you do?

I am a second year law student at the Cecil C. Humphreys School of Law

What do you like most about being on the Soirée For Sudan committee?

I love being able to meet and work with other fellow Memphians I otherwise may have never encountered to create by FAR one of the most exciting and worthwhile events of the year. Everyone on the committee is so engaged and enthusiastic about Soirée for Sudan and Operation Broken Silence's mission that it fosters such a collaborative and welcoming environment. Though OBS is creating a global movement, there is no denying that it is truly a family.

What do you like most about Operation Broken Silence and our culture?

I love how with everything Operation Broken Silence does, whether it be through fundraising efforts, grassroots activism, and documentary storytelling, it is through the lens of empowerment. OBS never acts upon the belief that “we know best.” Instead, OBS works directly with-on-ground Sudanese changemakers to seek sustainable, long-term change in the way that our Sudanese brothers and sisters deem fit. The culture harbors such intentionality and sincerity among its staff and volunteers. Everyone that I have met affiliated with OBS is so dedicated and personally invested in the mission that it makes it nearly impossible not to want to become involved too.

Faith Pool

Where are you originally from? 

Southaven, MS

What do you do?

I'm in marketing!

What do you like most about being on the Soirée For Sudan committee?

Meeting people and helping raise money for a good cause that makes me feel like I am making an impact.

Sarah Roberts

Where are you originally from? 

Memphis, TN

What do you do?

I’m currently in marketing and soon to be in real estate!

What do you like most about being on the Soirée For Sudan committee?

I’m excited to work with OBS again now that I’m back in Memphis! This event is amazing and I’m happy I can contribute.

What do you like most about Operation Broken Silence and our culture?

I love the mission and being able to see the impact OBS has had on the people and children of Sudan over the years. My friendship with the staff made it natural to want to be involved because they’re smart, caring, and know what they’re doing!

Emilie Rogers

Where are you originally from? 

Kansas City, MO

What do you do?

I'm a librarian!

What do you like most about being on the Soirée For Sudan committee?

I love planning parties in general, so planning a giant one is the most fun!

What do you like most about Operation Broken Silence and our culture?

The people and their passion for the work.

Samantha Stack

Where are you originally from? 

Charleston, MO

What do you do?

Marketing at a local equipment and supply business

What do you like most about being on the Soirée For Sudan committee?

Watching everything come together the day of the event and getting to work with the other committee members throughout the year. Everyone on the committee brings a unique perspective and new ideas to the table. I love seeing how a years worth of collaborating and throwing ideas around turns into a successful event.

What do you like most about Operation Broken Silence and our culture?

That we know what the priorities of OBS are, how we are working towards them, and what else can be done to help reach them. I also like the newsletter, so much of what is going on in the Sudan isn't something that is covered in the news and it gives us an in-depth look of what is going on from day-to-day.

Ed Waugh

Where are you originally from? 

Memphis, TN

What do you do?

I’m an attorney!

What do you like most about being on the Soirée For Sudan committee?

The satisfaction of those times we're able to make a few dollars have a disproportionately strong impact on this event. In turn, this makes more of every dollar we raise go directly towards changing lives in a way that we in the United States often have difficulty grasping.

What do you like most about Operation Broken Silence and our culture?

Commitment, both to the mission and to making fun of Mark's (our Executive Director) beer snobbery.

Soirée For Sudan Out Of Town Guide

Our 8th annual Soirée For Sudan is coming up on August 29, 2020 at the Memphis Grand Carousel! This breathtaking evening benefits the two incredible schools we sponsor in Yida Refugee Camp. The 2020 event theme is inspired by Cirque du Soliel, and tickets are now on sale.

Every year, we always have supporters who don't live in Memphis, TN come to our home city for the weekend. Soirée For Sudan is worth visiting Memphis on its own, but there's plenty else to do, see, and experience while you are here. Memphis makes for a romantic weekend getaway and is just as fun for a group of friends.

If you don't live in Memphis but have always wanted to attend Soirée For Sudan, we encourage you to make a weekend trip out of it! We've put together a list of our favorite things you should do while you are here. Here's a quick video about our city:

Places To Stay

While the Peabody Hotel is world famous, Memphis is also home to Pettigrew Adventures! They're one of the Soirée For Sudan event sponsors and have several awesome Airbnbs around midtown Memphis. SEE THEM HERE »

If you do prefer a hotel, here are a few:

• The Peabody Hotel

• Hotel Napolean

• Hu Hotel

• Hotel Indigo

• River Inn of Harbor Town

Places To Eat & Drink

Memphis is a food and bar destination city. A full list of amazing food and fantastic drinks is impossible to provide. There's quite a bit going on in Overton Square, Cooper Young, South Main, and Crosstown Concourse. Here are some of our favorite spots around town. Those that are italicized support our work in Sudan!

Downtown

• The Gray Canary

• The Arcade

• Bar 409 in Puck Food Hall

• Pontotoc

• Loflin Yard

• Majestic Grille

• Bardog

Midtown

• The Second Line

• Wiseacre Brewing Company

• Crosstown Brewing Company

• Blue Nile

• ECCO

• Cafe Eclectic

• Alchemy

• Central BBQ

• The BBQ Shop

• City & State

East Memphis

• MemPops

• Ciao Bella

• Ugly Mug Coffee

• Huey's

• Hog and Hominy

• City Silo

Places To See & Experience

If you're looking to learn some more about Memphis, take in local sights, or shop we have you covered: 

Downtown

• National Civil Rights Museum

• Mississippi River and Beale Street Landing

• South Main

• Main Street

Midtown

• Global Cafe

• Crosstown Concourse

• Overton Square

• Cooper Young

• Overton Park

• Memphis Zoo

East Memphis

• Laurelwood Shopping

• Novel Book Store

• The Belltower Artisans

• Highland Strip

• Shelby Farms Park

Germantown

• Kendra Scott

• Saddle Creek

More Memphis

Finally, there are two fantastic local resources you can use to see what's new in Memphis and what other events are happening on the weekend. Check out our friends at Choose901and I Love Memphis to see their recommendations as well. 

Just don't forget that doors open to Soirée For Sudan at 7PM sharp on Saturday, August 29, 2020. Plan your weekend accordingly around the big night. We can't wait to see you there!

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. Register For Soirée For Sudan! This is our biggest event of the year and you dont want to miss it. This year's tickets are the best yet, and your participation empowers the 24 teachers and 1,200 students at the schools in Yida Refugee Camp. REGISTER HERE »

2. Can't Attend? Help us reach our goal! If you can't make it to this year's event, we encourage you to make a donation toward our $35,000 goal. GIVE HERE »

3. Join Facebook Event Page. Help us spread the word about our big night by joining the Facebook event page and inviting your friends to it. JOIN HERE »

Sign up for our email list to get updates from Sudan and our movement. You can also follow us on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter.

Organization Letter To Secretary of State Pompeo Concerning Sudan

Today, we join 99 other organizations and experts in calling on the U.S. government to establish a policy that prohibits representatives and employees of the U.S. government from engaging with Sudanese General Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, also known as “Hemeti.”

Our open letter is being delivered to U.S. Secretary of State of Mike Pompeo, Assistant Secretary for the Bureau of African Affairs Ambassador Tibor P. Nagy Jr., and U.S. Special Envoy for Sudan Ambassador Donald Booth. This letter has been copy and pasted below:

View fullsize

September 24, 2019

The Honorable Mike Pompeo U.S. Department of State 2201 C Street, NW Washington, DC 20520

Dear Secretary Pompeo,

We, the undersigned 100 human rights organizations, scholars and leading activists, strongly urge the Administration to establish a policy that prohibits representatives and employees of the U.S. government from engaging with Sudanese General Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo also known as “Hemeti.”

Hemeti, the commander of the Rapid Support Forces, a paramilitary force formerly known as the “Janjaweed,” is responsible for organizing and committing horrific violence against the men, women and children of Sudan. Despite his role in terrorizing the country, Hemeti sits on the new Sovereign Council that is charged with leading Sudan through a 39-month transition period to elections.

While we urge the U.S. to remain intensely engaged in supporting the people of Sudan to achieve freedom, justice, equal citizenship and genuine peace, engaging with Hemeti sends the wrong message. It provides a sense of legitimacy and defacto impunity to one of Sudan’s worst offenders. Hemeti is not a legitimate leader but rather a dangerous criminal who should be sanctioned by the U.S. and referred to the International Criminal Court for war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide.

With an eleven-member Sovereign Council and a new Prime Minister, the U.S. has many avenues of influence in Sudan. Engaging with Hemeti is not required. Just as the U.S. refused to engage with former President Bashir, who is wanted by the International Criminal Court for the same crimes, the U.S. must also refuse to engage with Hemeti.

Sincerely,

• Act for Sudan, Eric Cohen, Co-Founder, USA

• Frank Wolf, Member of Congress 1981-2014, Retired

• ACROSS, Elisama Daniel, Executive Director, Nairobi, Kenya

• Adil Abdel Aati, Sudan of the Future Block, Sudan

• Aicha Elbasri, Former Spokesperson for the United Nations African Union Mission in Darfur (UNAMID)

• African Freedom Coalition, Al Sutton M.D., President, New York, NY

• African Soul, American Heart, Debra Dawson, President and CEO, Fargo, ND

• American African Foundation Against Torture, Zain Alabdeen A Osman, President, Schenectady, NY

• Ayin Network, Mosaab Baba, Director, Khartoum, Sudan

• Beja Organization for Human Rights and Development, Ibrahim Ahmed, President and Co-Founder, Fairfax, VA

• Brooklyn Coalition for Darfur & Marginalized Sudan, Laura Limuli, Coordinator, Brooklyn, NY

• Charles Flowerday, CEO, C. Flowerday Communications, Formerly Editor/Comm. Ofcr., Conserv. and Survey Div./School of Natural Resources, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Omaha, NE

• Christian Solidarity Worldwide, London, , UK

• Coalition Against Global Genocide (CoAGG), Linda Farb, Board Chair, and Roz Duman, Founder/Executive Director, Denver, CO

• Claire Vera, Nuba Now, UK

• Coalition of Advocates for South Sudan, Bill Andress, Executive Secretary, Lexington, SC

• Comité Soudan, Diagne Chanel, Présidente, Paris, France

• Concerned Citizens for Change, Gene Binder, Member Steering Committee, Bronx, NY

• DAAM-UK, Ali AM Hussein, Co-ordinator, London, UK

• Darfur Action Group, Austin Watson, Darfur Action Group, Hendersonville, NC

• Darfur Action Group of South Carolina, Richard Sribnick, MD, President, Columbia, SC

• Darfur and Beyond, Cory Williams, Co-Founder, Phoenix, AZ

• Darfur Interfaith Network, Martha Boshnick, Co-Chair, Washington, DC

• David Alton, Professor the Lord Alton, Independent Crossbench Peer, London, UK

• Dear Sudan Love Marin, Gerri Miller, Founder and Coordinator, Tiburon, CA

• Doctors to the World, Nuba Mountains, The Sudan, C. Louis "pj" Perrinjaquet, MD, MPH, Medical Director, Breckenridge, CO

• Dr. Gregory H. Stanton, Founding President, Genocide Watch, McLean, VA

• Dr. Robert K. Hitchcock, Kalahari Peoples Fund (Austin, TX), Department of Anthropology, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM

• Dr. Samuel Totten, Professor Emeritus, University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, Author of Genocide by Attrition: Nuba Mountains, Sudan

• Ellen J. Kennedy, Ph.D., Executive Director, World Without Genocide at Mitchell Hamline School of Law, St. Paul, MN

• Empowerment Through Education (ETE), Micklina Kenyi, Executive Director, Boulder, CO

• Enough Project, Ian Schwab, Director of Advocacy and Impact Strategy, Washington, DC

• Eric Reeves, Sudan research, analysis, advocacy, asylum representation, , Northampton, MA

• Faith J.H. McDonnell, Director, International Religious Liberty Program, Institute on Religion and Democracy, Washington, DC

• Genocide No More - Save Darfur, Marv Steinberg, Coordinator, Redding, CA

• Gill Lusk (Ms.), Writer on Sudan, London, UK

• Help Nuba, Rabbi David Kaufman, Des Moines, IA

• Henry C. Theriault, Ph.D., President, International Association of Genocide Scholars

• Human Rights and Development Organization (HUDO Centre), Bushra Gamar Hussein, Executive Director, Kampala, Uganda

• Idaho Darfur Coalition, Boise, ID

• Institute for Sustainable Peace, Randall Butler, CEO, Boulder, CO

• Investors Against Genocide, Susan Morgan, Co-Founder, San Francisco, CA

• Ipswich Community Action, Lakshmi Linda Sirois, Co-Organizer, Ipswich, MA

• Jewish World Watch, Susan Freudenheim, Executive Director, Los Angeles, CA

• Jews Against Genocide, USA, Sharon Silber, Co-Founder, New York, NY

• John Hubbel Weiss, Associate Professor Emeritus, Cornell University; Founder/Director, Darfur Action Group, Cornell

• Joining Our Voices, Slater Armstrong, Director, Baton Rouge, LA

• Learning Victory, Inc., Ariik Nyok, MPA, Executive Director, Long Island City, NY

• Mary Jane Rein, Ph.D., Executive Director, Strassler Center for Holocaust and Genocide Studies, Clark University

• Massachusetts Coalition to Save Darfur, William Rosenfeld, Director, Boston, MA

• Mercy Beyond Borders, Sr. Marilyn Lacey, Executive Director, Santa Clara, CA

• Mohamed Yassin Khalifa, Educator & Human Rights Activist, Boston, MA

• Mohaned Elnour, Director, Justice Centre for Advocacy and Legal Consultations (JCALC), Khartoum, Sudan

• Nancy Dawod, Sudan Activist, Eugene, OR

• Never Again Coalition, Lauren Fortgang, Director, Portland, OR

• New Sudan Council of Churches, Benjamin Barnaba, Executive Director, Juba City, Central Equatoria, South Sudan

• New York Coalition for Sudan, Eileen Weiss, Co-Founder, New York, NY

• New York Darfur Vigil Group, Helga Moore, Co-ordinator, New York, NY

• Nuba Christian Family Mission, Spencer Flournoy, Director, Denver, CO

• Nuba Mountain Peace Coalition, Tito El Gassai, Representative, Dallas, TX

• Nubia Project, Nuraddin Abdulmannan, President, USA

• Nubian Language Society, Nubantood Khalil, Washington, DC

• Operation Broken Silence, Mark C. Hackett, Executive Director, Memphis, TN

• Our Humanity in the Balance, Terry Nickelson, Executive Director, Deming, NM

• Paul Slovic, Lane County Darfur Coalition, Eugene, OR

• People4Sudan, Geneva, Switzerland

• Persecution Project Foundation, Bradford Phillips, President, Culpeper, VA

• Pittsburgh Darfur Emergency Coalition, David Rosenberg, Coordinator, Pittsburgh, PA

• Pius K. Kamau MD, General Surgery, President, AAHEP (Africa America Higher Education Partnership), Aurora, CO

• Regional Centre for Training and Development of Civil Society, Mutaal Girshab, Director General, Khartoum, Sudan

• Rev. Heidi McGinness, International Peacemaker, Omaha, NE

• Reverend Ronald D. Culmer, St. Clare's Episcopal Church, Pleasanton, CA

• Rights for Peace Foundation, Osman Naway Habila, Director, Kansas City, MO and Kampala, Uganda

• San Francisco Bay Area Darfur Coalition, Mohamed Suleiman, President, San Francisco, CA

• Save The Persecuted Christians, Dede Laugesen, Executive Director, Monument, CO

• Seif Barsham, Human Rights Activist, Boston, MA

• South Sudan Civil Society Alliance (SSCSA), Keluel Agok, Secretary General, Juba, South Sudan

• South Sudan Community in Norway, Alakai Joseph Sekwat, Chairman, Norway

• STAND: The student-led movement to end mass atrocities, Grace Fernandes, Student Director, Washington, DC

• Stop Genocide Now, Los Angeles, CA

• Sudan of the Future, Rudwan Dawod, Vice President, Khartoum, Sudan

• Sudan Relief and Rehabilitation Agency, Ishraga Ahmed Khamis, Blue Nile State, Sudan

• Sudan Unlimited, Esther Sprague, Founder and Director, San Francisco, CA

• Sudanese Women Rights Action, Huda Ali, Programs Director, Kampala, Uganda

• The African Middle Eastern Leadership Project (AMEL), Mohamed Abubakr, President, Washington, DC

• The Baroness Cox, Independent Member, House of Lords, UK Parliament, London, UK

• The Rt. Reverend Julian M. Dobbs, Bishop, Anglican Diocese of The Living Word, Manassas, VA

• The Center for Democracy and Peace, Sabri Elshareef, Executive Director, New Jersey, NJ

• The Elsa-Gopa Trust, Nell Okie, Director, Madison, CT

• The Jerusalem Center for Genocide Prevention (JC4GP), Yael Stein MD, Co-Founder, Jerusalem, Israel

• The MagkaSama Project, France

• The People's Portfolio

• The Rt. Reverend Julian M. Dobbs, Bishop, Anglican Diocese of The Living Word, Manassas, VA

• The Strategic Initiative for Women in the Horn of Africa (SIHA), Khartoum, Sudan

• Thomas Kühne, Ph.D, Director, Strassler Center for Holocaust and Genocide Studies, Strassler Professor of Holocaust History, Clark University, Worcester, MA, USA

• Unite for Darfur Organization, Bahar Arabie, CEO, Gaithersburg, MD

• Victoria Sanford, PhD, Professor of Anthropology, Lehman College, Director, Center for Human Rights and Peace Studies, Doctoral Faculty, The Graduate Center, City University of New York, Bronx, NY, USA

• Voice for Change (VFC), Lona James Elia, Juba, Yei River State, South Sudan

• Voice of Darfur Women, UK

• Waging Peace, Rebecca Tinsley, Founder, London, UK

cc: Amb. Tibor P. Nagy, Jr., Assistant Secretary, Bureau of African Affairs Amb. Donald Booth, Special Envoy for Sudan

2019 Eden's Run 5K Results

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.

View fullsize

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!

View fullsize

View fullsize

View fullsize

View fullsize

View fullsize

View fullsize

View fullsize

View fullsize

View fullsize

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:

View fullsize

View fullsize

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.