Gambella Region

Two days hard drive from Addis Ababa by car, Gambella is geographically and culturally very different to the Ethiopian highlands. Malaria, TB, water-borne diseases, tribal conflict and flooding are regular features of life.

The work of the Anglican Church here began in 1996 in refugee camps in the region. Since then, through building relationships with indigenous peoples, we have established churches amongst the three major tribes, the Nuer, the Annuak and the Opo. There are 70 churches in the Gambella Regional State, largely following the Baro River (a tributary of the White Nile). The churches in clusters called Mission Centres. Each of the 15 Mission Centres is served by a paid, ordained leader and a TEE tutor, who visit the outlying village churches under their care and gather the people together regularly for meetings and prayer.