Hakim hopes to help others
Amanda Jones
15 April 2014: From a war-torn village in Sudan to Australia’s Parliament House, Hakim Makem will realise his dream when graduates with a Bachelor of Social and Community Studies from the University of Canberra on Friday.
Mr Makem, 50, grew up in the small village of Makuriryic and is from the Amonhom clan, a small section within the Dinka tribe.
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Hakim Makem, originally from Sudan, pictured at his UC graduation ceremony. Photo: Michelle McAulay |
“It was not uncommon to live on one meal a day and sometimes none. Living with my family in a hut with no electricity or health care services had its challenges but it also had a whole lot of virtues and taught me some valuable lessons,” he said.
“I learnt from these experiences that it is good not to have everything straight away. I discovered the joy of dreaming, planning, persevering and waiting.”
Mr Makem, his wife and seven children left a refugee camp in Sudan for Australia in 2003 and moved to the ACT to study at the University of Canberra in 2010.
“To lead the way and graduate 42 years since I went to school means a lot to me,” he said. “I love to work and help people achieve their best and this degree appealed to me.”
While in Sudan, Mr Makem volunteered in refugee and internally displaced people camps and in 2000, he was appointed manager of a demobilised child soldier camp.
Upon moving to Australia, he worked as an assistant volunteer coordinator with Mission Australia, a refugee support worker with the Migrant Resource Centre and a bilingual community facilitator with the Migrant Health Unit.
“Despite all the difficulties I’ve faced, the past few years have been the best of my life.
“My favourite quote from Greek philosopher Socrates sums up everything that I have learnt from growing up in a war-torn country to achieving my dream to graduate: the secret of happiness, you see, is not found in seeking more, but in developing the capacity to enjoy less.”
Mr Makem plans to continue studying and has enrolled in a Master of International Development at the University of Canberra which he will begin next semester.
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