Our Inspiration

As a Christian organisation, we draw our inspiration from the love and teachings of Jesus Christ, as recorded in the Bible. Many UMN staff are not Christian, but they recognise our Christian motivation, hold to our Bible-based values, and are sympathetic to our faith position. Following Jesus’ example, we do not discriminate on the basis of religion when it comes to people who benefit from programmes we support, but aim to work with the poorest and most marginalised communities, regardless of their religious faith.

Our Values

Being motivated and dependent on God, we believe these values to be foundational to our work. They influence our behaviour, our choice of partners, the way we work with our partners, and the selection and development of staff.

LOVE &
SERVICE

  • We follow God’s desire that we seek to be humble, forgiving and compassionate, as demonstrated in the life of Jesus.
  • We seek to identify with people in their needs and aspirations.
  • We do not consider any task too menial or belittling.

EQUITY &
SOCIAL JUSTICE

  • We value and respect each person, as we are all created equal by God.
  • We work alongside people, enabling them to speak and act for themselves.
  • We pro-actively address injustice and imbalance in society to bring impact at local, national and international levels.

INTEGRITY

  • We are committed to be honest and truthful.
  • We work responsibly and transparently, without undue personal gain.
  • We have integrity both corporately and personally, whether others are looking or not.

INNOVATION &
CREATIVITY

  • We seek new and improved ways to do our work.
  • We desire to excel in our work, respecting local knowledge, practices and culture.
  • We seek to develop in ourselves and others the creative ability that God has given to each of us.

SPECIAL
CONCERN FOR
POOR AND
MARGINALISED
PEOPLE

  • We seek to address root causes of poverty to change lives in practical ways.
  • We give special priority to vulnerable and oppressed people.

CARE FOR THE
ENVIRONMENT

  • We are looking for ways to minimise our negative effect on the environment.
  • We are working towards better resource management by reducing and reusing materials.
  • We seek to address the issues of climate change at local, national and international levels.

Developed by the Communications Team, UMN