Saving Victims of War Crimes in the Nuba Mountains
Dr. Tom Catena isn’t the typical American doctor.
I write to you today to honor his incredible work. For the past 10 years, he has devoted his life to saving victims of genocidal war crimes in the Nuba Mountains–a forgotten land that has been entrenched in a brutal civil war caused by the radical Islamist government in Khartoum with the purpose of eradicating the Nuban people.
“The most difficult part of the job is having to watch your patients die,” says Dr. Tom. “When a child, hit with an incendiary bomb with burns over 60 percent of his body, dies in your arms, after you’ve done everything you can to save him — it is excruciating.”
It’s been a decade since SRF established the Mother of Mercy Hospital and Dr. Tom arrived, the only medical facility in the area serving over 750,000 people. Since then, our team has remained a committed partner to the hospital by providing medicine, medical supplies, salaries for staff, food, and critical medical equipment, including the first battery powered X-ray machine in the Nuba Mountains.
But we could not have done this without your support.
Dr. Tom has one of the most difficult jobs in one of the most dangerous places in the world. On any given day, the hospital treats more than 500 patients suffering from disease, infection, and bombing attacks. He often has to perform life-saving surgeries with limited medical supplies. Driven by his compassion, he labors from sunrise to sunset, seven days a week.
Otherwise, it would literally mean the difference between life and death for so many.
We cannot underestimate the needs of a remote hospital in a war-torn country. Each day he deals with severe scarcity of food and shortages of medicine and other medical supplies.
In 2017, Dr. Tom was named the winner of the prestigious Aurora Prize humanitarian award for his unwavering dedication and selfless efforts. He hoped the prize would increase awareness of the desperate situation in this remote area where humanitarian aid is heavily restricted by the government in Khartoum with the purpose of cutting off all supplies lines into the Nuba Mountains.
But sadly, the suffering people in the Nuba Mountains have once again been forgotten by the media.
That is why I am writing to you today with the hope that you will join our Mother of Mercy Hospital Sustainer’s Circle by donating monthly.
This truly essential program allows you to conveniently and automatically help us provide a consistent supply of medicine, medical supplies, food, and salaries for staff at the Mother of Mercy Hospital each month.
Dr. Tom relies solely on organizations like us as the only lifelines for the Mother of Mercy Hospital.
Amid conflict, the starving and the sick are filling the hospital in record numbers. Every day, Dr. Tom works tirelessly in humble service and does everything in his power to provide help and healing.
When lifesaving medicines and medical supplies are in short supply, he must decide who can receive treatment and who cannot.
“You feel all that sadness and it feels like all the grief in the world is sitting on your head and inside your chest, squeezing you and you just can’t think.”
The need for healthcare is so great in this very isolated and poverty-stricken part of the world. Your generous gifts are the only way we can continue to assist Dr. Tom’s lifesaving work.
We must let these innocent victims of war know that we have not abandoned them!
Will you please join the Mother of Mercy Hospital Sustainer’s Circle and help us provide the hospital with a consistent supply of medical aid?
The world knows very little about what is happening in the Nuba Mountains. Thousands of people are starving to death and trying to survive by scavenging for food, eating only leaves, twigs, and whatever they can find in the dirt to ease hunger pains.
Dr. Tom helps to feed the hungry and malnourished—sometimes going without food himself.
“The lives of the people here matter as much as anywhere in the world,” says Dr. Tom.
As a member of the Mother of Mercy Hospital Sustainer’s Circle, you can help us purchase, transport, and deliver a consistent monthly supply of aid.
Dr. Tom can’t do it alone. He needs your help! Will you stand with him in his time of need?
Help us honor Dr. Tom’s 10 years of selfless service by joining this critical program with a monthly donation. If you can make a commitment of $50 or more, you will also be eligible to receive a complimentary coffee mug to show your support and solidarity, and our appreciation, for your generous donation.
It is my hope and prayer that you will support the Mother of Mercy Hospital as Dr. Tom continues to answer the cries of children, women, and families trapped in a warzone.
Thank you and God bless you for your caring heart and generosity.
P.S. Please join the Mother of Mercy Hospital Sustainer’s Circle and let’s do all that we can to support Dr. Tom’s lifesaving work in the Nuba Mountains. A consistent supply of medicine, medical supplies, food, and salaries for staff are desperately needed to prevent more suffering and thousands more deaths.
