TRANSFORM LIVES WITH DR. TOM CATENA - 2025

He Left Everything Behind — To Serve the Forgotten

In the rugged Nuba Mountains of Sudan, where war, poverty, and isolation collide, Dr. Tom Catena is a lifeline for millions. Raised in Amsterdam, New York, Tom grew up in a large, devoted Catholic family. He played football at Brown University, earned his medical degree at Duke, completed his residency in Indiana, and served as a Navy doctor for five years. But Tom felt called for more. In 2008, he left behind family, friends, and the comforts of the outside world to serve in one of the most remote, war-torn regions on earth. He moved to Sudan to care for the people of the Nuba Mountains--and he never looked back.

Dr. Tom Catena using stethoscope on child.

When Bombs Fell, Tom Stayed

When brutal fighting erupted in 2011, nearly every expatriate left. But Dr. Tom remained. He refused to abandon his patients.

“The source of most of our conflicts is the idea that one person’s life is more valuable than someone else’s,” Tom says. “We have forgotten that we are all children of God and therefore related.”

Even in 2014, when the hospital was deliberately targeted by bombings, Tom stayed — and still stays today. He is now joined in this mission by his wife, Nasima, a Nuba native and a dedicated nurse at Gidel Mother of Mercy Hospital.

The Only Full-Time Surgeon for Three Million People

Dr. Tom and his team provide care for a region with no paved roads, limited electricity, and very few trained medical professionals. Yet through relentless compassion, determination, and faith, they continue to serve.

In this region, 1 in 18 women are dying in childbirth because they don't have access to healthcare. Tom's hospital serves 400 patients per day. These patients often arrive on foot, by donkey, or by bicycle—frequently in crisis situations, such as during the current cholera outbreak.

And still, the doors remain open. The headlines of the Duke University Global Health Initiative are spot on: Dr. Tom is "Making Surgery Work in the Places that Need it Most." This is one of best returns in philanthropy: every dollar given has a $14 return.

Real Impact. Healing and Saving Lives.

Together, with your support, in 2024, Dr. Tom led Gidel Hospital and its expanding network of clinics to:

Treat over 295,000 outpatients and 8,500 inpatients
Perform 2,600+ major surgeries
Assist in 1,359 deliveries
Screen 11,000+ children for malnutrition
Train 47 students at the clinical school
Expand to 19 outreach clinics across the region

And with your help, Dr. Tom and his team strive to do more.

Become a Lifeline

Your gift is more than a donation. It’s a lifeline. It's declaration that every life matters — no matter how remote, how poor, or how forgotten.

“We are all children of God. And therefore related.” — Dr. Tom Catena

Consider the following needs as you think about how to give:

TREAT PATIENTS TODAY

$10 treats a child with a broken arm
$60 prevents blindness by providing cataract surgery
$250 treats a woman in obstructed labor ... saving her life and her baby's life

TRAIN HEALTHCARE WORKERS FOR TOMORROW

$6,600 funds the training of a physician assistant

TRANSFORM HOSPITALS FOR THE FUTURE

$14,000 sustains a network of 19 community clinics for a full week
$250,000 transforms a clinic into a Neonatal Center and funds five years of care: saving mothers and newborns

People Matter.

“I think people may look at Africa and say, ‘What you're doing is just a drop in the ocean ... but when I'm there, I don't see a drop ... I see a person ... a life.”

— Dr. Tom Catena

Give today to help Dr. Tom save lives.

Other Ways to Give:

DAF – Donor Advised Fund
Retirement Account
Life Insurance
Stocks or Mutual Funds
Bequests from Family Trust or Will
Corporate Matching

Click here to access the Donor Self Service portal

If you have questions about how to give, call 614-259-7229 or email info@africanmissionhealthcare.org