The Film That Became a Movement
Saving Lives in Sudan
When President Omar Al-Bashir ordered the relentless bombing of the citizens of his own country in the Nuba mountains of Sudan, Dr. Tom Catena was on the ground, one doctor serving 700,000 patients. When a ceasefire was agreed to and the bombing stopped, Dr. Tom stayed, to serve the people who have put their faith and their hope in him.
Telling the Story
A college friend of Dr. Tom’s, filmmaker Kenneth A. Carlson navigated armed militia in Sudan to tell the story. Internationally acclaimed and award-winning, The Heart of Nuba, is now available through Hulu, iTunes, Amazon, Google Play, Sony, Xbox and in public libraries via Hoopla. It has raised more than $600,000 for medicine, vaccinations, supplies and crucial training of Sudanese staff to support Dr. Tom’s critical, life-saving work.
Recent News:
Aurora Prize Awards Presentation
The $1.1 million Aurora Prize for Awakening Humanity honors unsung heroes working to preserve human life at great personal risk. Dr. Tom Catena was the 2017 Aurora Prize laureate. In 2018, in addition to his ongoing responsibilities as Medical Director of the...
Video Update from Dr. Tom
Dr. Tom sent us a short video update from his phone, with some warm words for The Heart of Nuba and the network that has gathered around the film and provided invaluable support for the hospital. Enjoy.
Update from Dr. Tom in Nuba
Hello from rainy Nuba. Finally getting some good rain on this end after a dry start. Nasima spent the day planting peanuts. Francis is in a neighboring village this week visiting his cousins. He thinks he’s a big man now but he doesn’t realize...
Aurora Foundation Launches New Global Initiative
The Aurora Humanitarian Initiative has launched its new program, the Aurora Community, to actively support the program members by connecting them with each other in accordance with their area of intervention, encouraging them to exchange their knowledge, and promoting...
Dr. Tom Delivers Keynote for WISH Summit
Dr. Tom Catena delivered the keynote address to the World Innovation Summit for Health (WISH), on November 15. The theme of this year's Summit was ''One World Our Health''. To quote the WISH promotion of the event: ''Dr. Tom,' as he is affectionately known to his...
The Catena Family Expands!
We could not be more delighted to share some recent photos from Dr. Tom of his and Nasima's new family member! This year the adoption of their son, Francis Gene, was finalized, bringing a much-earned source of love and joy into the Catena tukal (household). There is...
An Update from Dr. Tom
The situation here in Nuba has been pretty stable for the past year. The Transitional government in Khartoum and the SPLA-N rebels have met recently for peace talks but were unable to reach any conclusions. The SPLA-N is demanding that Sudan have a secular (not...
Dr. Tom records COVID-19 video message from Sudan for health workers in hometown
Despite having no cell phone service and limited bandwidth available in the Nuba Mountains region of Sudan, Amsterdam native Dr. Tom Catena recorded a video message of solidarity to honor health workers in his home town of Amsterdam, NY during the COVID-19 crisis and...
Sudanese rebels and government enter final phase of talks
The Sudanese government and a coalition of rebel groups on Thursday entered into a final phase of peace talks, which will centre on the creation of a unified Sudanese army. Mediators described the discussions as the "most important" component of the Sudan peace...