Trócaire partner
This film from Trócaire’s Sierra Leone partner the Fatima Institute (now the University of Makeni) illustrates the importance of participation at a local level and the impact it has on the lives of people in the community.
Trócaire is the official overseas development agency of the Catholic Church in Ireland. We were set up in 1973 by the Bishop’s of Ireland to express the concern of the Irish Catholic Church for the suffering of the world’s poorest people.
University of Makeni – formerly The Fatima Institute
Established initially in September 2005 as The Fatima Institute, the college was granted university status in August 2009, and assumed the name University of Makeni, or UNIMAK. It is located in the chief city of the Northern Province of Sierra Leone, West Africa.
The College seeks to promote the religious, political, social and economic development of the people of Africa through providing a public forum which allows the Church to make widely known, in creative dialogue, Christian convictions about man, woman, family, work, economy, society, politics, international life and the environment. It is a place of listening, respect and tolerance.
The university is a member of the Association of African Universities (AAU).
Our Vision
For Sierra Leone to become a civilization of love where peace and social justice for all transcend tribal and political divides, where every citizen has equal access to education to enable them to fulfil their potential.
Our Values
Cognisant that God created the natural world, and every human person in His own image, UNIMAK respects the intrinsic dignity of all people regardless of race, tribe, gender, religion, physical or mental impairment.
UNIMAK upholds the principles of the ‘common good’, ‘solidarity’ and ‘subsidiarity’ as set out in Catholic social teaching.
UNIMAK is committed to working in partnership with other organisations that actively promote human security through poverty reduction, social justice and human rights.
Therefore, while striving for academic excellence, the University aspires to produce graduates who, as concerned citizens can contribute positively to the life and development of their communities. Thus, academic study is grounded in the day-to-day realities of life in Sierra Leone through practical assignments, which put theory into practice and aim to give service to the wider community.
Mission Statement
Informed by Catholic Social Teaching, to promote human, social, political and economic development in Sierra Leone and Africa as a whole, which at the same time respects the environment so that its resources are used for the benefit of all.
Goals
- To develop, promote and implement a common ethical vision and praxis for all dimensions of development in Africa in support of the Millennium Development Goals.
- To foster professionalism within civil society, politics, business and religion and build, through sensitisation, education and training, institutions that serve the common good in Africa.
- To empower women in Sierra Leone in solidarity with women’s global struggle for emancipation.
- To strengthen the role of the church, especially in her social mission to build equity, justice, peace and democracy.