The campus, west of the city centre, is small but lively, and the easiest way for a visitor to see how the post-war generation is reshaping Sierra Leone. Founded by the Salesians of Don Bosco, the University of Makeni — UNIMAK for short — teaches roughly four thousand students across faculties in business, communications, public health, and agriculture.
Walk in past the gate during term time and you will find students reading on the grass, debating in the courtyards, and lining up for cheap lunches at the canteens nearby. The chapel is open most afternoons. Visitors interested in development work, education, or post-conflict reconstruction can usually arrange to meet a lecturer through the main office if they ask politely in advance.