Nuba Education Update - December 2023

In 2015, Operation Broken Silence began funding four Sudanese teachers in Yida Refugee Camp. They were giving lessons underneath a tree with a broken chalkboard. They had no textbooks, paper, pencils…nothing.

With your support, their small but brave effort has blossomed into the Endure Primary and Renewal Secondary Schools. 24 Nuba teachers and a headmaster work here every day. They run the show, not us, and serve 1,157 students in their classrooms every week. Endure Primary is the top performing elementary school in the region and a treasured possession of the Nuba community. Renewal Secondary is the only fully-functioning high school in Yida. More than 10,000 children have been served by the school to date.

Operation Broken Silence is the only organization in the world supporting childhood education in Yida Refugee Camp. Beyond these schools, we support Yida’s only other secondary school, a national exam preparation program for all primary students in Yida, and deliver a limited amount of classroom supplies to the eight other schools in the camp.

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Nasrah’s Story

Nasrah was born in the Nuba Mountains. Her family arrived in Yida almost 9 years ago after the Sudanese government attacked their village. She barely remembers her home, saying:

“We did not have clean water or a school near to us at home. When the Antonov (regime plane) came and dropped bombs on us we ran and my mother brought us here to Yida.”

Humanitarian conditions in Yida were rapidly improving when they arrived. Nasrah’s mom was surprised to find clean water easily accessible and multiple schools for Nasrah and her brother.

“My mother still talks about how strange it is that life is usually easier here than it was for us at home. I know she wants to go back to our land, but she does not feel secure now that there is another war.”

Like most families in Yida, they hope to return one day to their homes in the Nuba Mountains. Until then Nasrah is enrolled at the Renewal Secondary School, which is funded entirely by people just like you. Her teachers and friends provide a sense of hope in this time of great upheaval in Sudan. She says:

“Yida is home because my people and family are here. My mother and her friends talk about how much Sudan needs new leaders who care about us. At school my teachers tell us we are the future leaders and that we can end the wars one day. I have learned to read and write from them and have good grades, but having teachers and people on the other side of the world who believe in me is what I will always carry with me from this place. Thank you for joining my people’s struggles. I don’t know what would have happened to us without our teachers and all of you who hear my voice.”

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Recent Updates

Schools In Yida. It’s been a bittersweet year as refugee families once again begin trickling into Yida. Children displaced by the new war in Sudan have been warmly welcomed at the schools, but the reality of the world’s most dangerous armed conflict and worst humanitarian catastrophe weighs heavy on the hearts of everyone.

Thankfully, the teachers you support are uniquely positioned to help. Attendance at Endure Primary has climbed from almost 500 students daily before the war up to 720. Daily attendance has surged nearly 70% to 437 students at Renewal Secondary. Families continue trickling into Yida and are seeking to enroll their children at both schools. The teachers have informed us they still have some breathing room; but, if education needs keep climbing as we expect, both schools will likely be at maximum capacity by Summer 2024.

Photo: Renewal Secondary students celebrate their school achieving first place in national exams. (Operation Broken Silence)

Another round of national exams were conducted in August. Endure Primary and Renewal Secondary remained the top-performing schools in the region just as they have the past several years. And a record 43 out of the 45 students who took the Grade 8 national exam passed and are now enrolling at Renewal Secondary! A perfect score is 400 points and the five top-performing students were Yesmin Khamis Hassan (368.2), Makabula Peter Abdu (354.3), Amin Luke Nadir (353.4), Emmanuel Abdu Abdurahaman (352.5), and Sabri Andraws Junub (350). Congratulations!

Earlier this year, repairs and infrastructure upgrades were completed in most classrooms at both schools. This included more weatherproofing, new roofs and over 4,500 new bricks for replacement walls. Additional materials and backup tarps are also in storage for future repairs. This was made possible with some extra giving from our donors and is already paying dividends. With costs of most supplies skyrocketing from the war, these completed upgrades have kept classrooms in good shape at a time when extra financial support for this type of critical work is difficult to come by.

Photo: Children playing in Yida Refugee Camp at the end of a school day. (Operation Broken Silence)

Broader Education Support In Yida. Endure Primary School continues serving as the central national exam preparation facility for primary students in Yida. The camp’s eight other primary schools receive support and resources annually from our teachers for student test prep. This ancillary program positively impacted 1,458 additional students this year!

Vision Secondary, the only other high school in Yida, remains afloat with help from our teachers. The school was founded several years ago with pledges of support from outside nonprofits and churches, none of which materialized. This is one chapter in a long history of unfulfilled promises to the Nuba people that our education partner is having to mitigate. The teachers at Vision are all untrained, so a handful of the teachers at Renewal Secondary have stepped in to help teach science and provide guidance and crash course training.

Our Nuba education partner continues delivering a limited amount of basic supplies to Yida’s other primary schools, most of which operate with little to no outside support. Chalk, paper, pencils and notebooks remain the most requested items. These deliveries are critical to sustaining Yida’s already fragile education system, but are becoming more difficult to pull off due to rising prices brought on by the war.

We’re working with these incredible teachers to carry the mission forward, but we need your help.

How You Can Help

2023 has been a difficult and remarkable year in Sudan. Difficult in that the regime’s civil war has inflicted unprecedented death and destruction on the Sudanese people. Remarkable in that we’ve seen more bravery, love and grit in our Sudanese partners than ever before.

Funding for the schools remains an uphill battle due to rising costs from the war. The teachers are also receiving fewer donations due to internationally-minded donors moving their focus to the wars in Ukraine and Israel/Palestine, despite the humanitarian crisis in Sudan being the worst in the world. The result is that our Nuba education partner is running on roughly 60% of the funding they need to provide a more holistic education experience for Sudan’s next generation of leaders.

The good news is that you can help them overcome these challenges. Your generosity will help our teachers and students make progress against the odds:

$2,200: Fund an entire classroom at Endure Primary for one semester.

$1,000: Support one teacher for an entire semester.

$750: Deliver three new chalkboards to classrooms.

$500: Give additional materials and extra pay to teachers who are working with students to prepare them for national exams.

$250: Provide for maintenance needs in classrooms.

$100: Give pencils, notebooks and other supplies to 16 students in Yida Refugee Camp.

$50: Give soccer balls and other sporting equipment to students.

Operation Broken Silence is a registered 501(c)(3) organization. Your donations are tax-deductible within the guidelines of U.S. law.

Other Ways To Give

Checks - Personal checks and grants from DAFs can be make payable to Operation Broken Silence and mailed to PO Box 770900 Memphis, TN 38177-0900.

Stocks and Mutual Funds - Use this giving form to donate stock. To give from a mutual fund, download our Investment Fund Transfer Form and follow the instructions. Please note that all stock and mutual fund donations are nonrefundable.

Cryptocurrency - Use this giving form to donate crypto. Please note that all crypto donations are nonrefundable.

Fundraise - Start a fundraising page and ask friends and family to give! These last few days of the year are the perfect time to fundraise.

Give Monthly - The Renewal is our passionate family of monthly givers supporting Sudanese heroes. Sign up here.

Make your last gift of 2023

Friends and supporters,

It has been both a difficult and remarkable year in Sudan. Difficult in that the regime’s civil war has inflicted unprecedented death and destruction on the Sudanese people. Remarkable in that we’ve seen more bravery, love, and grit in our Sudanese partners than ever before.

Giving deadlines are below, but we encourage you to make your final gift of 2023 now. We need to send another round of emergency funding to our Sudanese partners in early January. Your gift can help make that happen and is tax-deductible within the guidelines of U.S. law.

$1,000 - Fully funds one classroom at Endure Primary School in Yida Refugee Camp for half a semester.

$500 - Delivers food to Darfuri genocide survivors who have fled to South Sudan.

$250 - Provides a daily breakfast to 10 children for an entire month in Adré refugee camp, where many Darfuri genocide survivors now live.

$100 - Supports the monthly work of a sexual assault counselor in Zamzam displacement camp in North Darfur, Sudan.

$50 - Helps repair classrooms in Yida damaged by seasonal rains and provide for general maintenance.

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Giving Season Deadlines

For gifts to count toward the 2023 tax year:

Online Donations - Sunday, Dec 31

Checks - Dated & postmarked by Friday, Dec 29. Make payable to Operation Broken Silence and mail to PO Box 770900 Memphis, TN 38177-0900.

Donor-Advised Funds - Ask your DAF manager for grant submission cutoff times. It usually takes several days for DAFs to process grants. We recommend submitting your donation now.

Stocks & Mutual Funds - Must be processed by close of markets on Friday, Dec 29. To give from a mutual fund, download our Investment Fund Transfer Form and follow the instructions. Please note that all stock and mutual fund donations are nonrefundable.

Cryptocurrency - Must be processed by midnight on Sunday, Dec 31. Blockchain processing times vary, so we encourage you to donate by December 30 to ensure adequate time for your gift to process. Please note that all crypto donations are nonrefundable.

Have a question before giving? Shoot us a message here and we’ll be in touch soon. With your generous support, we can help our Sudanese partners continue saving and change lives for the better.

Giving Tuesday 2023

Friends and supporters,

Your generosity on this year’s Giving Tuesday was simply incredible. Donations are still trickling in, but as of today you raised and gave $15,261 across all of our primary and private campaigns. Well done!

Next week, the support you’ve provided will be sent to the education, healthcare, and emergency response programs we assist in Sudan. The ongoing war has made the work of the Sudanese heroes we partner with even more important than it already was. You are proving that when we pool our resources together, we can help them do amazing things for the people they serve. Thank you for an incredible day of generosity!

To learn more about the Sudanese heroes we support and see the latest news from them, we encourage you to visit our programs page.

The Giving Season

There is still much work to be done in these final days of 2023. Join us by giving once or through The Renewal, our family of monthly givers:

• $200: Supports a teacher for one month.

• $150: Pays a nurse assistant’s salary for an entire month.

• $100: Provides pencils, notebooks, and other basic school supplies for 16 students.

• $50: Gives nets, balls, and more play.

Checks can be made payable to Operation Broken Silence and mailed to PO Box 770900 Memphis, TN 38177-0900. You can also donate stock or crypto.

Your donation is tax-deductible within the guidelines of U.S. law. Please keep your email donation receipt as your official record.

The 11th annual Soirée For Sudan

On October 7, our supporters came together to celebrate teachers and students in Yida Refugee Camp. This marked the eleventh year of Soirée For Sudan. Thank you to all of you who showed up!

The evening was made possible by our sponsors: Silent Events, the Clandestine Underground, Madeline Rose Photos, Shelby Monteverde Fine Art, Whitney Winkler Art, the Episcopal Diocese of West Tennessee, Monogram Foods, and Novel Memphis.

We would also like to thank our promotional committee, event staff, and volunteers for working together to create such an intimate space!

• Anya Schwartz, Tiffany Frizzell-Donnell, and Jackson Donnell served on our promotional committee.

• Zack Jennings designed and served the Sudan and 1920s-themed cocktails for the evening.

• Wandering Creative and Julian Harper captured the evening on camera.

• Anya Schwartz, Stephen Hackett, Sara James, Taylor Austin, and Jacob Geyer assisted with setup and breakdown.

Download Photos

Hit the button below to download your photos, or find them and share on Facebook.

Get Photos

Stay Involved

The war in Sudan continues to cast a dark shadow over the work of our Sudanese partners. You can help them each and every month by joining our monthly giving family, The Renewal.

All of our Sudanese partners are struggling with rising costs. They need 100 of us to start giving monthly to help them continue their lifesaving work.

⚡️ Your first three monthly gifts will be matched by a private donor ⚡️

All members of The Renewal receive special perks, including a membership pin and welcome letter, discounted merch, and early access to new events and campaigns.

Members who give $35+ a month also receive free event tickets to our events! Learn more about the benefits of giving monthly.

The 14th annual Eden's Run 5K

From October 28-30, our supporters celebrated fourteen years of Eden’s Run 5K, a virtual and in-person race bringing education to Sudan's next generation of leaders.

Runners across the United States took to neighborhoods, parks, and tracks throughout the weekend to complete their virtual 5Ks. Our supporters in Memphis, TN —where we are headquartered— gathered at Shelby Farms Park on Saturday, October 28 for an in-person run. It was a cloudy day, but the temperature was perfect!

Thank you to all of our runners for giving and fundraising! We set a goal of $7,500 that you shattered with $9,260 raised. Well done!

The run was made possible by our generous sponsors: Siskind Susser Immigration Lawyers, Buff City Soap, Hotworx (Edge District), Preservation Property Services, and Hive Bagel & Deli.

We would also like to thank our promotional committee, event staff, and volunteers for working together to make race weekend possible! Anya Schwartz, Tiffany Frizzell-Donnell, and Jackson Donnell served on our promotional committee. Jacob Geyer captured the event on camera. Anya Schwartz, Stephen Hackett, Sara James, Taylor Austin, Jacob Geyer, and Catherine Haag, Annabelle Haag, and Clara Haag made the in-person Memphis event happen. Thank you!

Download Photos

If you were at the Memphis run, use the button below to download your photos, or find them to share on Facebook.

GET PHOTOS

Stay Involved

The war in Sudan continues to cast a dark shadow over the work of our Sudanese partners. You can help them each and every month by joining our monthly giving family, The Renewal.

All of our Sudanese partners are struggling with rising costs. They need 100 of us to start giving monthly to help them continue their lifesaving work.

⚡️ Your first three monthly gifts will be matched by a private donor ⚡️

All members of The Renewal receive special perks, including a membership pin and welcome letter, discounted merch, and early access to new events and campaigns.

Members who give $35+ a month also receive free event tickets to Eden’s Run 5K! Learn more about the benefits of giving monthly.

US sanctions paramilitary leaders in Sudan

The United States Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) and State Department have imposed sanctions on top commanders in the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), correctly pointing out that “members of the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) in Darfur have committed atrocities and other abuses, inducing ethnically motivated killings, targeted abuses against human rights activists and defenders, conflict-related sexual violence, and looting and burning of communities.”

Sudan’s military regime disintegrated on April 15, 2023. The army and paramilitary Rapid Support Forces, the two primary factions in the regime, went to war with each for control of Sudan. Fighting has spread across the country, with millions of Sudanese caught in the crossfire and ethnic minorities facing famine, war crimes, and genocide.

The US government is specifically targeting Abdelrahim Dagalo, the RSF’s deputy commander and brother to top RSF commander Hemeti, as well as Abdul Rahman Juma, the RSF’s top general in West Darfur.

According to Treasury:

Abdelrahim is also being designated for being a foreign person who is or has been a leader, official, senior executive officer, or member of the board of directors of the RSF, an entity that has, or whose members have, engaged in the targeting of women, children, or any other civilians through the commission of acts of violence (including killing, maiming, torture, or rape or other sexual violence), abduction, forced displacement, or attacks on schools, hospitals, religious sites, or locations where civilians are seeking refuge, or through conduct that would constitute a serious abuse or violation of human rights or a violation of international humanitarian law relating to the tenure of such leader, official, senior executive officer, or member of the board of directors.

As a result of today’s action, all property and interests in property of the designated person described above that are in the United States or in the possession or control of U.S. persons are blocked and must be reported to OFAC. In addition, any entities that are owned, directly or indirectly, individually or in the aggregate, 50 percent or more by one or more blocked persons are also blocked. Unless authorized by a general or specific license issued by OFAC, or exempt, OFAC’s regulations generally prohibit all transactions by U.S. persons or within (or transiting) the United States that involve any property or interests in property of designated or otherwise blocked persons.

In addition, financial institutions and other persons that engage in certain transactions or activities with the sanctioned entities and individuals may expose themselves to sanctions or be subject to an enforcement action. The prohibitions include the making of any contribution or provision of funds, goods, or services by, to, or for the benefit of any designated person, or the receipt of any contribution or provision of funds, goods, or services from any such person. 

According to Secretary of State Antony Blinken:

The Department of State is imposing visa restrictions on RSF General and West Darfur Sector Commander, Abdul Rahman Juma, for his involvement in a gross violation of human rights.  According to credible sources, on June 15, 2023, RSF forces led by General Juma kidnapped and killed the Governor of West Darfur, Khamis Abbakar, and his brother. This act came just hours after Abbakar’s public statements condemning the actions of the RSF.

The United States continues to call on all external actors to avoid fueling the conflict.  We will not hesitate to use the tools at our disposal to hinder the ability of the RSF and Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) to further prolong this war, and we will also use such tools to deter any actor from undermining the Sudanese people’s aspiration for peace and civilian, democratic rule.  We will act to promote accountability for those responsible for atrocities and to pursue justice for the victims. The parties must comply with their obligations under international humanitarian law to protect civilians, hold accountable those responsible for atrocities or other abuses, allow unhindered humanitarian access, and negotiate an end to the conflict.

We Need Your Help

In our 12 years of working alongside Sudanese heroes, we’ve never seen anything like this. Extreme violence is spreading. Entire cities and villages are being destroyed. Famine looms. And program costs are skyrocketing.

Our Sudanese partners are struggling. They need 100 of us to start giving at least $50/month to help them continue their lifesaving work. ⚡️This is a big matchmaking campaign!⚡️ The first 100 new monthly givers will be matched by a private donor for 3 months.

The Renewal is our passionate family of monthly givers supporting Sudanese heroes. You’ll receive updates from our partners roughly once a quarter, a donation receipt each month, and an annual giving statement at the beginning of each year.

Operation Broken Silence is a registered 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. Your donations are tax-deductible within the guidelines of U.S. law.

Can’t give monthly? Donate once or start a fundraising page and ask friends and family to give!