News & Updates
Check out the latest from Sudan and our movement
Operation Broken Silence Named a “Best in Classy” Nonprofit
Today, we are excited to announce that Operation Broken Silence has been named a top nonprofit for achieving one of the best donor experiences.
Today, we are excited to announce that Operation Broken Silence has been named a Best in Classy nonprofit, celebrated for achieving one of the best donor experiences on the Classy giving platform.
Best in Classy recognizes fundraising excellence within the Classy nonprofit community, which includes over 6,000 of the world’s top nonprofits. This recognition showcases how we create supporter-centric campaigns that get our movement involved with our mission in Sudan.
Best Donor Experience
Operation Broken Silence was named a top nonprofit in the Best Donor Experience category for providing each supporter with the simplest and most fulfilling path to give.
Determined by a proprietary formula created by Classy’s data team, who measured key factors proven to lead to a positive donor experience, and with the insight of Classy’s internal experts, we were recognized as a top nonprofit leading the way in the Classy community.
Over the past decade, our team has believed that people around the world would help change makers in Sudan, but only if they were given the opportunity to do so. A key part of our mission has been to provide that opportunity in a compelling way. This recognition from Classy is another sign that our approach is working.
Additionally, our top-notch giving experiences help our supporters stay connected with our cause. Classy provides us the tools to make this happen on every campaign we present to our movement. Explore the Best in Classy list for more information.
COVID-19 has now been reported in the Nuba Mountains of Sudan. Mother of Mercy Hospital has two small isolation wards. There is no consistent supply of personal protection equipment, hand sanitizer, or simple soap. There are no ICU beds. The staff have made masks out spare cloth.
With the support of compassionate fundraisers and donors like you, supplies are being delivered, local nurses and midwives are being trained, and more people are receiving the healthcare they need.
Additional ways to support:
Make checks payable to Operation Broken Silence, write Hospital in the memo line, and mail to P.O. 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.
Donations are tax-deductible within the guidelines of U.S. law. Give here.
Eden's Run 5K: 2021 Toolkit
Everything you need to know and do before race day!
The 12th annual Eden's Run 5K is from November 12-14, 2021! This year's event is virtual again due to the pandemic. You can run from wherever you call home!
If you haven’t registered yet, let’s go ahead and knock that out right now.
Crush Your Goal
Every runner has to reach their $75 fundraising goal by November 14.
Let’s blow your fundraising goal out of the water in 15 minutes!
Download Your Runner Guide
We have a tailor-made guide just for you! Download the one you need below.
You started a team when you registered and need to recruit some runners!
You joined a team when you registered and need to be an awesome follower!
You registered on your own and are running solo on race weekend!
Social Tools
Get powerful social media resources to help you raise more money and recruit more runners to Eden’s Run 5K!
*If you use Venmo to accept donations, you are responsible for sending them to the OBS Venmo account. We’re @OperationBrokenSilence. We’ll manually credit to your fundraising page the Venmo donations you send us!
Merch Store
Because this year’s entrance fee and fundraising minimums are so low, we have a separate online store for those who want shirts, hoodies, leggings, and more!
Questions
Don’t hesitate to reach out! We’re here to help you succeed.
Onward,
Mark C. Hackett
Executive Director
Operation Broken Silence
Matching Gift Update
Give right now and your donation will be doubled!
COVID-19 did severe damage to our mission in 2020, particularly against our fundraising infrastructure and efforts.
Thankfully, we had our Endowment Fund to lean on during the most difficult season we’ve ever faced. This special fund prevented Operation Broken Silence from having to shutter any of our programs or permanently close our doors.
As I’ve mentioned in previous updates to you, this year is one of rebuilding. We expect this work will continue well into 2022, as we push to restore full funding to our Sudanese partners and discover new ways to grow our movement in an uncertain environment.
Part of our rebuilding effort is growing our Endowment Fund, increasing our resilience in the face of whatever crisis comes next. Earlier this year, a generous private donor saw the tremendous value of our decision to have an Endowment and subsequently offered to match all donations made to it, up to a total of $25,000.
Thanks to your giving, over half of this generous match has been claimed! $11,768 in matched donations remain. If you haven’t given yet, now is a great time to help us continue making progress.
Our Endowment, Explained
We started this special fund in 2016. It is made up of a series of strategic investments including mutual funds, cash savings, and cryptocurrencies. Earned dividends and interests are used to support the organization and our mission. The Endowment Fund is overseen by our Board Treasurer, Executive Director, and financial advisor.
Why is this fund important?
The Endowment Fund is our answer to a simple question: how do we ensure our doors are always open to the Sudanese people, no matter what?
This isn't a hypothetical. When COVID-19 careened into our mission in 2020, giving ground to a halt. Our Endowment gave us space to adapt, launch new fundraising efforts, and help our Sudanese partners continue their work.
Simply put, our Endowment Fund has already proven to be incredibly useful. And the faster it grows, the more sustainable our mission becomes.
How is my gift used?
Your generosity is deposited into a savings account and immediately starts generating interest. Once a certain amount of cash donations hit our account, a majority of those gifts are invested in a mutual fund. Your gift begins generating a higher level of dividends, effortlessly multiplying your impact as the months and years go by.
If you donate an investment such as a stock or cryptocurrency, we will evaluate the long-term quality of your gift. It may be kept as is or reinvested elsewhere to meet our needs. There are four primary ways to make a matched donation to our Endowment Fund.
Checks can be made payable to Operation Broken Silence with Endowment written in the memo line and mailed to PO Box 770900 Memphis, TN 38177-0900.
While there’s no deadline for securing the rest of this matching gift, we need to wrap this campaign up sooner rather than later. Doing so will narrow the scope of our rebuilding agenda, freeing up valuable staff time we can use to determine the future of our events and grow The Renewal recurring giving family.
I remain cautiously optimistic about the future of our mission. There is still much work to be done amid many unknowns; but we’re slowly and steadily making good progress. Your gift to our Endowment Fund is another small step in that direction. Thank you, and take care.
Onward,
Mark C. Hackett
Executive Director
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.
Donations are tax-deductible within the guidelines of U.S. law. Give here.
New Cryptocurrencies Accepted As Donations
Discover the new tokens that can now be donated to our mission in Sudan.
Operation Broken Silence started accepting cryptocurrency donations in 2020. Since then, we have steadily expanded tokens that can be given to our mission in Sudan. As of today, you can donate:
Our supporters have already donated $3,390 in crypto out of our $20,210 goal for this year. With the addition of these ten new tokens, there are more ways to donate cryptocurrency than ever.
Operation Broken Silence sells most of the crypto you donate, using the cash proceeds to fuel the programs we support in Sudan. We HODL to a small portion of what you give as part of a rainy day fund and to keep a little skin in the game.
We are partnered with The Giving Block to accept cryptocurrency donations. And giving crypto has never been easier:
The IRS classifies cryptocurrency as property for tax purposes. You receive a deduction for the fair market value of the crypto when you donate to Operation Broken Silence, avoiding capital gains tax you would incur if you had sold crypto and donated cash.
That means you’re able to donate more, as well as deduct more on your taxes. Consult your financial advisor to learn more.
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.
Donations are tax-deductible within the guidelines of U.S. law. Give here.
Sudan to hand former dictator to International Criminal Court
The 77-year-old war criminal may now face an uphill legal battle that he never anticipated.
The transitional government of Sudan will surrender former dictator Omar al-Bashir and other indicted war criminals to the International Criminal Court for trial. “The cabinet decided to hand over wanted officials to the ICC," Foreign Minister Mariam al-Mahdi said on Wednesday.
In 2009, the International Criminal Court (ICC) issued a global arrest warrant for Bashir related to war crimes and crimes against humanity being committed by regime forces in Darfur. The ICC issued a second arrest warrant for Bashir the following year for the crime of genocide. The official charges stem from the 2003-2008 period:
Five counts of crimes against humanity including murder, extermination, forcible transfer, torture, and rape.
Two counts of war crimes: intentionally directing attacks against a civilian population as such or against individual civilians not taking part in hostilities, and pillaging.
Three counts of genocide: by killing, by causing serious bodily or mental harm, and by deliberately inflicting on each target group conditions of life calculated to bring about the group's physical destruction.
The decision to hand Bashir over to the ICC came during a visit to Sudan by the international court’s chief prosecutor Karim Khan.
A changing Sudan puts Bashir on his heels
Bashir, who is now 77 years old, may face an uphill legal battle that he never anticipated. His regime refused to allow ICC investigators into Darfur while in power, restraining the court’s ability to build a more robust case against his government.
Photo: REUTERS/Mohamed Nureldin Abdallah
But after Bashir and some of his henchmen were ousted by the military in 2019 following months of nationwide protests, the new transitional government has steadily became more open to the ICC. Sudan’s attorney general Mubarak Mahmoud said on Tuesday that his office will cooperate with the ICC on cases concerning Darfur in order to bring justice to victims.
Human rights investigators have long been denied access to Darfur, where millions of Sudanese remain oppressed. The transitional government’s new promises of support to the ICC could be the leverage that international prosecutors have long needed.
Getting into Darfur may still prove difficult though. The region remains under the iron fist of the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), a powerful Bashir-era paramilitary outfit that has so far survived Sudan’s revolution. The commander of the RSF, Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo (aka Hemeti), has also been accused of war crimes and crimes against humanity, although he has not been indicted by any court to date. Hemeti is also one of the key leaders in Sudan’s transitional government.
But this reality doesn’t mean that progress is impossible. Last year, Sudanese war criminal Ali Muhammad Ali Abd–Al-Rahman, aka Ali Kushayb, was forced to flee his stronghold in Darfur when forces under the command of the transitional government flipped on him. A few months later, he was captured in the Central African Republic and promptly turned over to the ICC.
Although it appears a handful of Sudan’s war criminals will soon face justice for their crimes, the damage they have left in their wake will take decades to repair.
The Bashir regime launched a second genocidal war against the southern Nuba Mountains region in 2011. Mass regime war crimes quickly gave way to a humanitarian crisis. Even though a ceasefire is in effect today, hundreds of thousands of the Nuba people still lack access to education, healthcare, and other basic services.
Operation Broken Silence is still the only nonprofit in the world funding community-led education efforts in Yida Refugee Camp, where many of the Nuba people now live. Without Endure Primary and Renewal Secondary Schools that we support there, the entire education system would collapse.
As we mentioned in our last update, we need your help to raise an immediate $5,525 for the following special projects at the schools:
$3,900 for classroom repairs, including replacement roofing from severe storm damage and some other minor upkeep.
$1,625 for textbook printing. After years of unfulfilled promises to deliver textbooks from the national education ministry, our education partner has secured a printer and binder and is moving forward with making their own.
There are three ways you can help. You can start a campaign and ask friends and family to give, setup a small monthly recurring donation, or make a generous one-time gift.
Additional ways to support:
Make checks payable to Operation Broken Silence, write Education in the memo line, and mail to P.O. 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.
Donations are tax-deductible within the guidelines of U.S. law. Give here.
Yida Education Update - August 2021
Get the latest news from our education program in Yida Refugee Camp!
In 2015, Operation Broken Silence began funding four Nuba teachers in Yida Refugee Camp. They were giving lessons underneath a tree with a single, broken chalkboard.
With your support, their small effort has blossomed into the Endure Primary and Renewal Secondary Schools. You empower 24 Nuba teachers here. They run the show —not us— and oversee 1,400 students in their classrooms every week.
Endure Primary is one of the top performing schools in the region and a treasured possession of the Nuba community. More than 6,000 children have been served by the school to date. Renewal Secondary began a multi-year phased opening in 2019 and has already shown great promise.
One of the largest demographics in Yida is children under the age of 16. The teachers’ vision has always been to ensure that every single child in Yida has the opportunity to attain a quality education.
Student Spotlight
Dowa was only three years old when her mother brought her to Yida Refugee Camp. She doesn’t really remember life before then. The government of Sudan bombed their village in the Nuba Mountains. Her father —a farmer— headed to the frontlines. Dowa’s mother set out on the nine day journey to Yida across the border.
That was seven years ago. Although Sudan’s long-time dictator Omar al-Bashir was overthrown in 2019, many of his henchmen sit atop the new transitional government. A fragile ceasefire in the Nuba Mountains is holding, but Dowa’s mother isn’t returning until a peace agreement is finalized. She says:
“The government has always hated us. They try to kill us even when they say they want the shooting to stop. We can’t go back until the generals have proven they have changed or until they are gone.”
Thankfully, Yida is a relatively safe place. Dowa is a student at the Endure Primary School, a place that feels like home to her. Here, she not only learns something new every week, but also gets to play with friends and talk about their country’s future. She says:
"Sometimes it feels like all of us here are waiting. Waiting for peace. Waiting to return home. Waiting for powerful people to decide our future. But here at school, we learn that we have power and can be the generation who brings change. We’re encouraged to talk about who we want to be when we finally go home.
I think this gives my mother hope. She only knows war. She never went to school. When she sees me learning and playing with friends, it gives her joy.”
National Exam Results
In May, we reported that national exam results had been delayed due to school closures brought on by COVID-19. Teachers and students were still optimistic about their success despite a tough season.
Results are finally in for Endure Primary and they’re the best yet. 99.9% of students passed their national exams! Only one student failed after missing school for three months due to unique family needs. One of the teachers is working to get her caught up now.
We are still waiting on test results for Renewal Secondary. Our Nuba education partner in Yida is expecting those any day now.
New Teachers
The larger and positive changes in how Sudan is governed are finally being felt in the Nuba Mountains just across the border. Security in some frontline areas is still erratic, but much of the region remains quiet. There is increased movement between areas controlled by the Sudanese government and Nuba self-defense forces. And some refugees in Yida are now trying to return home.
A handful of teachers from Endure Primary and Renewal Secondary recently headed back to their villages in the Nuba Mountains. One of the teachers hadn’t been back since 2014 and their departure was bittersweet. Our education partner was able to replace them quickly with virtually no disruption for the students.
For now, it appears quite a few people have no plans to leave Yida. Our education partner has always expected that —one day— Endure Primary and Renewal Secondary will need to be relocated into the Nuba Mountains. At this moment, that day isn’t today.
Classroom Conditions
Over the past three years, we’ve worked with our education partner to improve classroom infrastructure at Endure Primary and Renewal Secondary. Thunderstorms were repeatedly damaging classrooms and forcing expensive repairs. By early 2020, all classrooms had received significant weatherproofing and strengthened roofs.
Last update, we reported that an unusually bad thunderstorm had caused minor damage to two classrooms at Renewal Secondary and tore the roof off of another. Thanks to your fundraising and giving, the damage was repaired and classes resumed.
Another strong thunderstorm recently rolled through the camp and severely damaged two classrooms at Endure Primary. The classrooms remain closed for now, with a temporary open-air covering being used in their place.
This obviously isn’t the best news, but it’s worth noting that previous upgrades continue to prevent even more extensive damage. Stronger thunderstorms like these in the past were regularly damaging over half the classrooms. The strengthened roofing and additional weatherproofing has led to a roughly 60% reduction in maintenance costs. More importantly, this means far less time spent missing class for students.
Funding & Morale
The new semester began at the end of February. Teacher and student morale is high at the moment, although there is still a bit or tiredness in the staff. Less funding in 2020 —due to the economic fallout of the disease— took a toll here just like it did elsewhere in the world.
Fundraising for the teachers and students continues to improve. Our supporters have restored 40% of the funding the schools lost last year. There are also some maintenance and textbook needs delayed last Fall that can no longer be ignored. We need your help to raise an immediate $5,525 for the following special projects:
$3,900 for classroom repairs, including replacement roofing from severe storm damage and some other minor upkeep.
$1,625 for textbook printing. After years of unfulfilled promises to deliver textbooks from the national education ministry, our education partner has secured a printer and binder and is moving forward with making their own.
There’s still a long road ahead, but we’re trending in the right direction. Read on to learn how you can help us continue making progress.
Get Involved
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.
There are three ways you can help. You can start a campaign and ask friends and family to give, setup a small monthly recurring donation, or make a generous one-time gift.
Additional ways to support:
Make checks payable to Operation Broken Silence, write Education in the memo line, and mail to P.O. Box 770900 Memphis, TN, 38177-0900
About Nuba
The Nuba Mountains are home to roughly 100 African tribal groups who have lived here 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.