News & Updates
Check out the latest from Sudan and our movement
Your #GivingTuesdayNow Results
Here’s what you accomplished on the emergency day of global giving and unity.
Hello supporters,
Yesterday, we joined together with other nonprofits for #GivingTuesdayNow, a global day of emergency giving and volunteering. Here’s what you accomplished for 24 Sudanese teachers in Yida Refugee Camp.
84% Goal REACHED
Our #GivingTuesdayNow purpose was welcoming 50 new members into The Renewal, our family of monthly givers. We came up a little short, but you made really good progress.
YOU SURPRISED US
We weren’t expecting you to make one-time donations, start fundraising pages or spread the word. You did anyway.
Two of you even took initiative and started campaigns to raise support for the teachers in Yida. It never gets old watching our movement leap into action.
What Comes Next
As we wrap up #GivingTuesdayNow, this is a great opportunity to look to the next few months.
The road to sustaining our teachers in Yida through the pandemic has more challenges ahead. We’ll only face them down if we stick together.
Every summer we have a series of brand partnership and private events. Most of these high-impact fundraising activities won't be taking place this year due to the pandemic.
Unlike when we were forced to postpone our annual gala in March, we are aware that this fight is coming. The good news is that we know how to overcome it. By August, we will need 200 monthly givers on the Do Justice campaign. It’s going to be an uphill battle.
Your support on #GivingTuesdayNow helped lay early groundwork for us to tackle this summer. We’re grateful that you are still showing up for the teachers in Yida. Stay safe. Talk to you soon.
Onwards,
Mark C. Hackett
Executive Director
Operation Broken Silence
About Us
Operation Broken Silence is building a global movement to empower the Sudanese people through innovative programs as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. We focus on empowering Sudanese change makers and their critical work. Learn more here.
Donations are tax-deductible within the guidelines of U.S. law. Give today.
#GivingTuesdayNow Is May 5. Get Involved.
#GivingTuesdayNow is a new global day of giving and unity that will take place on May 5, 2020. Here’s how you can be a part of it.
Every person on the planet has been touched by the coronavirus pandemic, including the uninfected. On May 5, 2020, nonprofits will band together for #GivingTuesdayNow, a global day of emergency giving and volunteering. We’re proud to be a part of this effort.
How COVID-19 Has Damaged Our Mission
Since March, we have seen a 60% drop in funding for the wonderful programs we support in Sudan. We’ve said farewell to our office space, reduced staffing hours and pay, and cancelled the nonessential services we use.
The pandemic is also impacting the bigger picture in Sudan. The country’s painful move toward peace and democracy is in serious jeopardy. Rumors that an imminent regime coup against the transitional government are spreading like wildfire. Obviously, there are the health impacts of what the pandemic can unleash in Sudan, where healthcare capacity ranges from poor to nonexistent.
#GivingTuesdayNow is an opportunity for us to band together, stop the bleeding, and lay the groundwork for a comeback. The Renewal has always been the core of our movement. Growing our family of monthly givers is the smartest thing we can do to shield our programs from additional damage.
Between now and May 5, we need 50 of you to start giving at least $10 a month as Renewal members. This will help plug the sizable teacher pay gap at our schools in Yida Refugee Camp. Will you join us?
Can’t give monthly?
Here are a few other ways you can help.
Give Once. A one-time donation buys us time to grow The Renewal family and puts extra cash into our programs right now. GIVE HERE.
Become A Fundraiser. If you aren’t in a position to give from your wallet, will you give us the gift of your time? You can start an online fundraising campaign and ask your friends to donate! START A CAMPAIGN HERE.
Raise Awareness Online. Download our #GivingTuesdayNow Awareness Kit to share our photos on social media and ask friends to get involved. DOWNLOAD HERE.
We’re Here for You
Your anxieties and fears are relevant. We share many of them with you.
Over the past few weeks, I’ve talked to several of our supporters about how this pandemic has changed your lives and our work. I share many of the concerns you do, but I also find comfort in our mission. Steadfastness is the best remedy for chaos, even if it means taking things one day at a time. Our mission remains changed.
Still, these are hard times. There is no going back to normal whenever this moment ends. This pandemic is exploiting the weaknesses of our world, be it here in the United States or around the globe in Sudan. Preparing now for a more resilient future is one of the best things we can do together, even as we are apart.
Our board, staff, and Sudanese partners are thinking about all of you. Feel free to reach out if you have questions or ideas about our #GivingTuesdayNow plans. Talk to you soon.
Onward,
Mark C. Hackett
Executive Director
Operation Broken Silence
About Us
Operation Broken Silence is building a global movement to empower the Sudanese people through innovative programs as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. We focus on empowering Sudanese change makers and their critical work. Learn more here.
Donations are tax-deductible within the guidelines of U.S. law. Give today.
3 Additional Ways To Support Our New Campaign
If you aren’t in a position to give from your wallet, help support teachers in Yida Refugee Camp with your voice and a little time.
This is a make or break year for the 24 Nuba teachers at our schools in Yida Refugee Camp. After all these years, Operation Broken Silence is still the only organization in the world that focuses exclusively on improving education here.
This crisis started encroaching on the two schools we sponsor in Yida throughout 2019. More teachers than ever before showed up hoping for a job. By year’s end, over 1,000 students had begged for an opening. The teachers at our schools had to turn them all away. The resources just weren't there to expand.
Our new campaign Do Justice is our response. A lack of teacher pay is central to the education crisis in Yida. The goal of Do Justice is straightforward: inspire 200 individuals and families to give monthly. This will shore up funding for the 24 teachers we support in Yida and pave the way for our schools to expand in 2021.
If this is the first time you are hearing about all of this, the best way to help is to start giving monthly right now. Even if all you can spare is $10, your giving will protect the progress these teachers have made against all odds.
We understand that only some of our supporters are in a position to give monthly right now. If you can’t give, here are three other ways you can fight back against this crisis:
1. Share On Social Media
You can share the Do Justice video online. Here are a few specific posts that you easily share with your friends and family:
Make sure you are following us so that you can easily share our progress in the coming weeks and months too! You can find direct links to our social media handles at the bottom of this post.
2. Sign Up For Our Email List
We send out one or two emails a week. At the end of each month, we send a newsletter that includes important stories from Sudan. This is a fantastic way to get the information you need. Everyone from our supporters to Congressional staffers are already signed up!
You can also forward our emails to friends and family to raise awareness about Sudan. Quite a few of our supporters do that. It’s a really effective way to help!
3. Start A Campaign
Finally, if you’re stuck at home due to the coronavirus pandemic, you probably have a little free time. You can start a fundraising page for the teachers in Yida and ask your friends and family to give!
This is the best way to directly support the teachers without anything coming out of your wallet. Most of our supporters can raise $100 in 10 minutes. That’s money we can get to the schools in Yida right now as we keep focusing on reaching our Do Justice goal! Every little bit helps.
I hope you are staying safe and healthy. Our team is thinking about all of you as we work from home.
Feel free to reach out to us if you have questions. Talk to you soon.
Onward,
Mark C. Hackett
Executive Director
Operation Broken Silence
About Us
Operation Broken Silence is building a global movement to empower the Sudanese people through innovative programs as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. We focus on empowering Sudanese change makers and their critical work. Learn more here.
Donations are tax-deductible within the guidelines of U.S. law. Give today.
What Coronavirus Means For Our Movement
An update on how coronavirus is impacting our movement.
Hello supporters and friends,
As the COVID-19 pandemic spreads, I want to provide you an update on our day-to-day life at Operation Broken Silence and how it impacts you.
Our leadership is following the directives provided by government officials. Here in Memphis, a Safer At Home order has our staff working from home. Our Board of Directors, who are already far more active than most nonprofit boards, are playing a larger role in our daily operations.
We have two primary goals right now. First, to minimize disruptions with each of you. Second, we have a new campaign we need to make rapid progress on.
Minimizing Disruptions
We’re a nonprofit that exists to empower the most vulnerable people in Sudan. Being nimble, efficient, and adaptable to change are essential to our mission.
This has left us better-positioned than most to minimize changes in our relationships with you. Still, you may notice a few changes in the coming weeks since we are working from home:
Delayed receipts for check donations and stock giving, as well as Renewal welcome letters and membership pins.
No calls-to-action around new Sudan legislation in Congress.
Reduced promotion of our annual gala, Soirée For Sudan, which has been moved to August 29.
Our New Campaign: Do Justice
Our 2020 campaign is remaining front and center despite the COVID-19 pandemic. If anything, this campaign needs your attention now more than ever.
Delaying Soirée For Sudan, our biggest fundraiser of the year, was the right thing to do. But it came at a painful cost to the 24 teachers we support in Yida Refugee Camp. This event provides so much of the funding the Endure Primary and Renewal High Schools receive. The schools face the real possibility of significantly downsizing.
I want to be crystal clear: money fixes this problem. Several of you have already answered the call and joined. We’re grateful and encouraged, but a rocky road lies ahead. The best way you can help is to give $10 a month to these teachers right now. And your first monthly gift will be matched.
21 supporters out of the 200 we need have already signed up. That’s real progress we are making together. This is a tangible way to help the most vulnerable teachers in the world right now. Please join us. We need you now more than ever.
If you aren’t in a position to give monthly, you can make a one-time gift here.
I hope you are staying safe and healthy. Know that our team is thinking about you. Feel free to reach out to us if you have questions. Talk to you soon.
Onward,
Mark C. Hackett
Executive Director, Operation Broken Silence
About Us
Operation Broken Silence is building a global movement to empower the Sudanese people through innovative programs as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. We focus on empowering Sudanese change makers and their critical work. Learn more here.
Donations are tax-deductible within the guidelines of U.S. law. Give today.
Do Justice Campaign: Philip's Story
In 2012, Philip was teaching when he heard a faint buzzing. Like everyone who lives in the Nuba Mountains, he was conditioned to pause.
"Teaching in Yida is hard. But I have hope."
- PHILIP
In 2012, Philip was teaching when he heard a faint buzzing. Like everyone who lives in the Nuba Mountains, he was conditioned to pause. He stepped to the doorless entrance and looked up to the blue sky. His heart skipped a beat. The buzz came from an Antonov bomber heading straight for them.
"Quickly children. Take cover," he said. They filed outside in a brisk fashion before bolting to foxholes. Thankfully, the bombs missed. Philip saved the lives of nearly 80 children that day. He's a hero.
By next week, attendance had dropped 70%. Scared families were sending their kids to Yida Refugee Camp across the border. Philip decided to follow.
On the road to Yida, he witnessed a hint of what awaited him: scared children from across the Nuba Mountains heading south. They had one eye on the road and one eye on the sky for bombers.
Philip finally arrived after a 4 day journey. Over 100 children walked into Yida with him. With no classroom and no chalkboard, he found a tree to gather them under. And he started teaching.
Teaching is central to Philip's identity. Watching students learn and grow is far more rewarding than the paycheck he receives. For the first few years in Yida, he didn't even get a paycheck. His students were all he had.
Philip's hope never wavered. The class he started underneath a tree? That was the beginning of the Endure Primary School, one of two schools we sponsor in Yida. Those first 100+ students? Most of them graduated. There are nearly 1,000 more children in Endure Primary today. Philip certainly has a lot to be proud of.
But there is still a very long road ahead in Yida. By the end of last year, several teachers and over 1,000 children had shown up at the schools begging for an open spot. All of them were turned away. The money just wasn't there to expand.
This is why giving monthly is so important. These people have no one else to turn to. We're it. When you start giving monthly, you're supporting heroes just like Philip.
Soirée For Sudan: Bridging The Gap
We have rescheduled Soirée For Sudan for August 29. While we are disappointed that our celebration is being delayed, the need for Sudan's most vulnerable teachers and children still remains.
Operation Broken Silence supports two schools in Yida Refugee Camp. 24 Sudanese refugee teachers and 1,200 students depend on us to keep the doors open.
With COVID-19 top of mind for all of us, we wanted to give you an update on our upcoming event in Memphis on March 28, 2020. We have rescheduled Soirée For Sudan for August 29.
While we are disappointed that our celebration is being delayed, the need for Sudan's most vulnerable teachers and children still remains. The support raised at Soirée For Sudan is critical to the schools remaining open in 2020.
In short, we need you more than ever.
To bridge the funding gap from delaying Soirée For Sudan, Operaton Broken Silence still needs to raise $23,000 to support teachers with salaries and students with school supplies. If this funding is not raised, the schools will have to significantly downsize and possibly close.
If you have not registered for Soirée For Sudan yet, please do so right now. If you cannot attend the event, please make a donation.
Your support will help bring Operation Broken Silence one step closer to reaching our goal and therefore, one step closer to our vision of a Sudan with strong, self-reliant communities.
For check donations, please make payable to Operation Broken Silenceand send to PO Box 770900, Memphis, TN, 38177-0900.
About Us
Operation Broken Silence is building a global movement to empower the Sudanese people through innovative programs as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. We focus on empowering Sudanese change makers and their critical work. Learn more here.
Donations are tax-deductible within the guidelines of U.S. law. Give today.