UEMI is a higher learning institution based in the highlands of Minembwe, South Kivu Province. Created in 2000 and accredited by the Ministry of Higher Education and Universities in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), under ministerial decree no: 128/MINESU/CAB.MIN/FL/RS/2006 in April 2006 as a college.  It was a credited as a private university in 2011 under Ministerial decree, no: 330/MINESU/CABMIN/MMI/PK/2011. The university is an undergraduate program with 4 Faculties namely, Theology, Agricultural Sciences, Environment and Community Development Sciences; Medical Sciences and Education Sciences. In future the University plans to introduce Peacebuilding and Business and Administration among others.

The university is a community of researchers and scholars engaged in creating and transmitting knowledge across academic disciplines. This belief is energized by a deep commitment to students, and by the consciousness of the university’s role in serving rural communities of Minembwe and beyond.

The University’s philosophy is “Education for Sustainable Human Development” and its moto is Vision, Science and Mission.

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Vision

In the pursuit of its philosophy, UEMI is inspired by its vision of becoming a ''Centre of Spiritual Anointing and Academic Excellence in providing quality education programs'' upon which local communities build their capacities, realize their potentials and dignify their existence. In order to build capacities of local communities, the University's vision focuses on achieving 2 things:

Quality teaching and learning

-    where excellence in education drives both scholarly commitment to disseminate and apply existing knowledge, and a research commitment to discover and apply new knowledge;
-    where teachers are also researchers working on appropriate technologies, helping generations of students learn and pursuit knowledge, and develop their cognitive skills, cultural values and professional expertise of the highest level;
-    where Christian values based on theology of work, truth and integrity may be pursued without fear or favour;
-    where scientific and rational inquiry are solidly promoted; and where academic freedom is protected.

Research and Development institution

Committed to research-development approach involving local communities not only as beneficiaries but also as full partners:
-    where knowledge is developed for and with the local communities;
-    where health and medical sciences respond to issues of good health of communities;
-    where justice and peace, environment protection, disaster risk reduction and policy reforms are advocated;
-    where rural population's aspirations for an improved quality of life are inspired and nurtured.
-    where community members tell their own stories and write their own history.

 

Mission
The University as part of the country’s educational system provides a comprehensive educational program for the people of Minembwe region to seek, discover, interpret and communicate knowledge. It is also committed to put knowledge to work through its programs for the rural sustainable development. 

The mission is to produce graduates who are morally strong and technically competent in mobilizing resources through science, technology and entrepreneurship that are locally adaptive; Develop and deliver technology to the rural population in order to spur a higher level of productivity and be a catalyst of community transformation.

 

Goals
The university aims to train young people who are theoretically and practically balanced, ethically sound, responsible, motivated, pro-active and experts in instruction, production and management, processing and delivery services related to the fields of their studies and to impart human and spiritual values.

Guiding Values
The University is guided by the profound humane and scholarly values inherent in the highest ideals of knowledge sharing.  The University is guided by Christian values, quality and excellence; professionalism; teamwork and unity; and institutional pride in preserving the good name of the University with the spirit of service to the people in rural communities.

 

Partnerships
UEMI works in collaboration with a number of local and international partners in various programs namely, campus infrastructures, research and teaching programs, scholarships for students and pupils in need, community development and administration.

 

KIMARA NZAMUBONA

In 2008, I came to the United States as a refugee. Past circumstances did not deter my determination to pursue higher education. It was not easy to navigate the educational system due language barrier, at the time. However, I worked assiduously year after year to improve academically and to fully integrate into the system. I graduated in 2014 from Colby College. Passionate about pursuing affordable and accessible health solutions for impoverished communities around the world, my volunteering experience asserted my fortitude. This trip changed my life because it solidified my keen interest in pursuing an advanced degree in global health policy and management. 
In the summer of 2016, I volunteered, along with 3 other students and the Moores, in Minembwe. We worked with Eben-Ezer University of Minembwe in an intensive summer camp language program to teach English to primary and secondary school students from diverse ethnic backgrounds. This program was coordinated by Lisa Moore and Dr. Lazare Sebitereko, two amazing individuals whose passion is to serve and to transform in a positive light the life of people in Minembwe. 

While there, I witnessed women and girls fetching drinking water in streams, while just a few feet upstream, others were washing clothes. I noticed that there was little concern for disposed human waste and I immediately recognized the lack of communal awareness pertaining to the connection between the ecosystem and human health. As a result, I devised and executed the summer program’s first ecology course on protecting water resources, which was directly connected to a greater public health nuisance to the community.

My current plan is to pursue a graduate degree in Global Health. After this program I hope to gain employment in international development to serve and advocate for equitable access to health and social services. I intend to keep volunteering in Minembwe whenever possible. I loved the positivity of people regardless of their hardship. 
Kimara F Nzamubona
Cell: (207)-415-3538
www.linkedin.com/in/knzamubona

 

GRACE WARTHEN

My experience interning with UEMI in Minembwe impacted my life in many ways. It was incredible to live in and learn about a culture that is very different than my own. Everything was beautiful in its own way, from the soko (outdoor market), the cows, the rolling hills and sunsets, to the music and languages of the people. It opened my eyes to a broader mindset of how the rest of the world functions outside of my own limited perspective. 

I love the people in Minembwe and at UEMI. They treated us like one of their own and showed us true friendship and hospitality with everything they did for us, whether it was sharing a meal, gifts, or always extending a heartfelt greeting. What impacted me the most were the children and staff we worked with every day. I realized that building a relationship with them was really the most important thing I could offer and receive during my time there. I will never forget the beautiful smiles, laughter, and enthusiasm of the kids as we daily interacted with them. Their bright minds shone and inspired me as we taught them English alongside their teachers. 
My teaching experience at UEMI and the elementary/secondary school has helped lead me to my current pursuit of a certification in Teaching English as a Second Language in the U.S. I hope to someday teach overseas, in the states, and perhaps again in Minembwe. In short, I am so grateful for the time I had interning in Minembwe and would never trade it for anything else. 
 
Grace Warthen
Western Washington University
Bellingham, WA

 

M. JUSTIN HYLARIDES
I participated in a two-week volunteer program at Eben-Ezer University of Minembwe (DRC) in July 2015 where I taught English classes at advanced and beginner levels for the community and led out in women’s rights/global health workshops. On a personal note, I gained a new perspective here on what is possible in low-resource settings: the community seemed tightly involved with the university and I can’t impress enough the pride they took in its growth and achievement. I also was deeply moved by their active role in advancing education and community health, even taking on projects to restore native ecology, to a region wounded by past conflict. In summary, I see Eben-Ezer University as being a potential “grassroots model” of a dynamic relationship between a university and its surrounding rural community, and believe investment in its future will be crucial for development of this region. 
Currently I’m a third-year American medical student at the Medical School for International Health/Columbia University (MSIH), NYMSIH), and in the future I aspire to return to Minembwe to assist in any way possible to their continued success. 

Warm regards, 

 

M. Justin Hylarides, MSc 
MD Candidate 2019