About Us
Jesuit Hakimani Centre (JHC) is a Jesuit social centre dedicated to research, formation and advocacy. JHC was started in 2001 as a programme of the Jesuit Fathers Registered Trustees of the Eastern Africa Province of the Society of Jesus. JHC is part of a network of over 320 Jesuit social centres around the world with similar outlook and activities.
The name HAKIMANI combines Swahili words, which articulate the primary focus of our mission: HAKI (justice), IMANI (faith) and AMANI (peace).
As such, JHC can be described as a Catholic justice and peace centre.
JHC promotes research and action on societal issues, linking the Christian faith, social justice. JHC promotes and peace building. The aim is the transformation of unjust structures in society through formation, research and advocacy, so as to ensure sustained change for the better for all in line with their human dignity. JHC works in Ethiopia, Kenya, Sudan, Tanzania and Uganda.
This process links Christian faith founded in the Gospel values and human actions that bring fullness of life to humanity. These values are articulated in the Social Teachings of the Catholic Church that consider human dignity to be an intrinsic right to every human person, and one that has to be defended, nurtured and sustained by favourable conditions of life.
To achieve this goal the JHC works in collaboration with other Jesuit institutions, faith-based organisations and civil society, both regional and international.
Commitment to Ecumenism and Inter-religious Dialogue
JHC has a strong commitment to ecumenism and inter-religious dialogue, in the conviction that social justice is a common commitment of the diverse faiths of the Eastern African region and a fundamental platform where diverse faiths can work together and begin to understand and appreciate each other. JHC therefore sees social justice as a most potent area for successful collaboration among the faiths and promotion of a more harmonious society without religious animosity.
The Society of Jesus (The Jesuits)
One of the largest religious orders in the Catholic Church, The Society of Jesus (The Jesuits) was founded in 1540 by St Ignatius of Loyola, a Basque nobleman and soldier who “found God in all things”.
For over 460 years, Jesuit priests and brothers have served the Church in ever new and unexpected ways.
Over the last decades, Jesuits have become a body even more diverse than before, engaged in a variety of ministries at the of cultural conflict, social and economic struggles, religious revivalism and new opportunities for bringing the Good News to peoples all over the world. Jesuits are in constant dialogue with other religions and with the cultures in which they live.
There are over 20,000 Jesuits serving the Church in 12 nations on the six continents. All involved in Jesuit ministry are men and women, religious and lay Christians, who share the Jesuits vision of service to faith, and to the justice that faith demands.
For more information on the Society of Jesus, please visit www.sjweb.info.