University of Makeni

**University of Makeni** (formerly dem know am as de **Fatima Institute** dem often know as **UNIMAK**) be de first private, Catholic, university wey dey locate insyd Makeni, Sierra Leone.

## History

Na dem found am as de Fatima Institute for October 8, 2005, by de Emeritus of de Roman Catholic Diocese of Makeni lead by Reverend George Biguzzi (born 1936, Italy). Insyd August 2009, na dem grant am university status wey e take ein present name. Own by de Diocese of Makeni, den de Bishop of Makeni be de university chancellor.

Insyd 2011, along plus City of Rest den de Community Association for Psychosocial Services (CAPS), UNIMAK cam turn founding member of de Mental Health Coalition (MHC) of Sierra Leone. Dem dey specialize insyd mental health service provision, academia, den advocacy, de consortium of organizations be for de forefront of calls for reform of de mental health sector insyd Sierra Leone.

Ebola restrictions force temporary closure of de University of Makeni between 2014 den 2016.

Insys 2018, UNIMAK create additional campus insyd de Koinadugu District of Sierra Leone. De campus dey locate insyd Kabala Town wey UNIMAK be de first University make e begin operations insyd de district. Insyd 2018, na dem eliminate de university ein application fees for application forms as part of initiative champion by Presido Julius Maada Bio make e improve access to higher education for young people.

Inays 2019, de university cam turn founding member of de First Responder Coalition of Sierra Leone (FRCSL), plus de Sierra Leone Red Cross Society, LFR International, de Holy Spirit Hospital, den Agency for Rural Community Transformation (ARCT). Na de Coalition ein mission be make e "facilitate de development of emergency first responder programs to alleviate de burden of traumatic injury insyd Sierra Leone."

## Governance

De university be privately owned by de Emeritus of de Catholic Diocese of Makeni wey ebe de first private university insyd de country owned by de Catholic Mission. E sanso be govern by members of de Makeni University Governing Council.

## Programs

As research-oriented university, der be large breadth make dem conduct de research for UNIMAK.

### Public health
Representatives from de University of Makeni den Makerere University insyd Uganda meet plus academics from de School of Public Health for de Imperial College London make dem discuss building institutional capacities make e provide public health education. De partnership help build de health education program for de university.

#### Ebola
Insyd 2015, during de latter stages of de Ebola crisis outbreak, researchers from de University of Cambridge den Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute wey dey study unconventional transmission of Ebola by dem dey sequence de virus for real-time initially insyd wey dem construct temporary genome sequencing facilities make e provide in-country sequencing capabilities to process patient samples from Makeni. Since de end of de crisis, dem move de facilities go de university, wer dem form de UNIMAK Infectious Disease Research Laboratory. De laboratory dey provides training give local scientists den students, crucial to make dem dey sequence den manage continue Ebola cases insyd Makeni widout international collaborators present.

Na UNIMAK be leader insyd de PREDICT Ebola Host Project, as one of two Sierra Leonean institutions dem involve insyd de project (de oda be Njala University). De PREDCIT project bee USAID-funded project headquarter for de UC-Davis One Health Institute. Subsequent to de Ebola Crisis, two groups begin dey searche for hemorrhagic disease reservoirs insyd West Africa make dem preempt future crises. Na one group be led by de CDC den Njala University, while na de oda be led by UC-Davis den UNIMAK. As result of de project, na scientists be able make dem discover Ebola virus species (Marburg Virus) for host insyd (fruit-eating bats) prior to detection give infected human anaa sick animal for de first time ever.

### Special needs educators program
UNIMAK be currently de university per insyd Sierra Leone make e offer special needs teacher training. De absence of special needs teachers insyd Sierra Leone make dem educate disabled children cam turn priority give de Ministry of Education, wey e assure de government say e dey champion policy for de expansion of dese programs insyd Parliament base for UNIMAK ein programs top.

## References


## External links

* University of Makeni on Wordpress