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 iTunes, Amazon, Google Play, Sony, Xbox and in public libraries via Hoopla. It has raised more than $2.200,000 for medicine, vaccinations, supplies and crucial training of Sudanese staff to support Dr. Tom’s critical, life-saving work.
What now for Sudan?
Omar al-Bashir assumed power in Sudan in 1989 after leading a military coup to overthrow the sitting government. During that time al-Bashir directed the mass killing, rape, and pillage against Black African civilians in Darfur, with the goal of eliminating the Black population. He led a relentless bombing campaign against the citizens of the Nuba mountains, also Black Africans, targeting civilians, killing thousands, and destroying homes, schools, business, crops and more. In 2009, al-Bashir banned all humanitarian aid coming into Sudan, leaving his people starving, sick, dying, and subject to intensifying violence.
He has been indicted by the International Criminal Court on five counts of crimes against humanity (murder, extermination, forcible transfer, torture, and rape), two counts of war crimes, and three counts of genocide.
Recent News:
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...
Crazy Amazing Humans with Katrina Carlson Featuring Dr. Tom
Katrina Carlson has always been a front-line supporter of Dr. Tom and The Heart of Nuba, writing and performing "Bloom," the original song for the film, and traveling across the globe to perform at special screenings. So we are excited to announce the...
Reflections on an Earlier Interview
On March 27, 2018, Ishay Sesay of CNNi did a riveting 20 minute segment wtih Kenneth A. Carlson and Dr. Tom Catena about The Heart of Nuba. Carlson and Catena both talk about their aspirations for the Nuba people, which included al-Bashir being brought to...
News from Sudan:
Sudan Government and Opposition Sign Political Roadmap, Includes Humanitarian Corridor in Nuba Mountains
Sudan has agreed to open humanitarian access to war-torn areas of the country for the first time in eight years as part of a new roadmap enabling suspended peace talks to resume, a rebel leader said on Monday. “We are expecting that the humanitarian...
Sudan: George Clooney and John Prendergast in Washington Post
Press From George Clooney and John Prendergast, of coalition member Enough! Project, on events in Sudan: "..Though [former military leader] Burhan has said the military council would name a civilian prime minister and cabinet, he has not committed to...
A Message from Dr. Tom on Events in Sudan
Sudan News "April 11th, 2019 will hopefully be a big day in Sudanese history as it was the day that dictator Omar al-Bashir and his henchmen were removed from power after a 30 year reign of terror. He has presided over 3 separate bloody civil...
Video: Children of Nuba
Some of the young lives saved by Dr. Tom Catena, as he talks of the need for a humanitarian corridor...