Support Omo Valley Tribes and Stop Gibe 3 Dam

Ethiopia's Omo River


Southern Ethiopia is a fascinating destination. Ethiopia's Omo Valley is home to dozens of tribal peoples--unique cultures found nowhere else on earth which provide insight into more traditional ways of living. Unfortunately, this could all be threatened if the Gibe 3 Dam on the Omo River is completed.

Completing the Dam would flood a vast portion of the Omo Valley, creating a 150 km long lake that would damage the fragile ecosystem of the river, while increasing tensions over land between the peoples who live there. The dam would end seasonal floodings which leave behind silt deposits critical to farming. The expected result: food shortages and more conflict between tribes.

Further south, the peoples of the Turkana region of Kenya would also be affected; reduced water flow to Lake Turkana would lead to increased salinity which would negatively impact fishing, the life-blood of the region.

For more information about how the tribes of the Omo Valley depend upon the river, read this report from International Rivers. For additional documents, click here.

Construction of the Gibe III Dam has already begun, but it will not be completed without international financing. This is where you can help. Go to Stop Gibe 3 Dam and sign the petition. Let your voice be heard, and help protect the livelihood and lifestyle of the Omo peoples.