Tom Catena: “My wife’s looking forward to eating Armenian barbeque!”

“I’m so happy to be back here in Armenia! Really, this is wonderful!”

With these words laureate of Aurora Prize 2017 Tom Catena appeared before a group of people waiting for him in Zvartnots International Airport in Armenia: Aurora volunteers, journalists and, of course, the Armenian doctors who went to Nuba to substitute for doctor Catena in May 2017, to allow him to visit Armenia and attend the Aurora Prize Weekend.

Tom Catena isn’t alone this year; he is accompanied by his wife, Nasima. He told her a lot about Armenia and the Armenian cuisine when he returned to Sudan last year.

“I missed the meat,” Catena confessed. “She’s (Nasima) looking forward to eating khorovats (Armenian barbeque), I told her how wonderful the food is here, I think she’ll gain about 30 kilos.”

During this year’s visit, Catena will have a tour in Armenia and Artsahk, about which he heard a lot. He’ll also take part in the special weekend of events, which will take place on June 8-10, culminating with the announcement of the 2018 Aurora Prize Laureate.

Aurora award (million dollars) went to three organizations that are involved in a number of projects in Africa, Tom Catena said.

“I chose those organizations because they use the money very efficiently. They’re not big organizations that waste lots of money doing funny things; they’re small organizations, their feet are on the ground, which means they are there, they are with the people, doing their work locally. I’m very happy with what they’ve done with the money.”

As for his hospital, there are no big changes there yet. They had bought X-Ray equipment right before Catena came to Armenia in 2017. And recently they also bought a generator to replace the one that was destroyed in a flood.

“We faced some financial problems past year, and yet, due to the support of many friends and benefactors we’re able to keep going and taking care of patients,” he said. “What started as a negative, I think we turned it into a positive, and we’ll keep going ahead with the support of many people.”

Doctor Tom Catena arrived in Sudan as a Catholic missionary from Amsterdam, New York.  He has since saved thousands of lives as the sole surgeon permanently based in Sudan’s war-ravaged Nuba Mountains where humanitarian aid is restricted. It is for this service that he received the Aurora Prize, granted by the Aurora Humanitarian Initiative, created on behalf of the survivors of the Armenian Genocide and in gratitude to their saviors.

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