Ruwenzori Diocese is situated in Western Uganda, sharing a border with DR Congo and has been in partnership with CMS Ireland for more than 15 years.

Ruwenzori is primarily a rural area and is known for it’s snow-capped mountainous backdrop which is home to the gorillas that are so important to Uganda’s tourist industry.

The diocese is slightly smaller than Northern Ireland and consists of 15 archdeaconries, 129 parishes and over 700 churches. The main Provincial town is Fort Portal, where the cathedral and diocesan office are situated.

The Church is involved in a wide range of activities that include leadership training; education; youth and children’s ministry; health care; vocational training; and income generation programmes.

Returned Mission Partners Norman and Isobel Jackson are the most recent CMS Ireland personnel to serve in the diocese. Norman headed the diocesan construction and training unit while Isobel focused on children’s work – overseeing the resourcing of church leaders and Sunday School teachers. Isabel’s job was, in essence, the implementation of CMS Ireland’s “Growing in Grace” project and through that work more than 1000 church leaders and over 3500 Sunday School teachers were trained – directly impacting about 200,000 children in the diocese.

CMS Ireland’s links continue in the diocese and we are looking to develop these in the future.