Prototype rebuild by the IMB Innovation Team. The official site is peoplegroups.org.

People group profile · PG015452

The Mashi of Namibia

The Mashi of Namibia, numbering about 300 people, are Engaged yet Unreached. They are a middle Zambezi Bantu ethnic group indigenous to the border area of southwestern Zambia and southeastern Angola.

They are a diaspora people in the Khoisan people cluster of the Sub-Saharan African Peoples. Their primary religion is Ethnoreligion, and they primarily speak Mashi (Zambia).

Pray for the MashiPrint profile

AI-generated illustration representing the Mashi people
AI-generated illustration, not a photograph. Photo by Google. (2026). Image generated by Gemini 2.5 Flash: Mashi

Fast facts

Country
Namibia
Population
300
Affinity group
Sub-Saharan African Peoples
People cluster
Khoisan
Primary language
Mashi (Zambia) (mho)
Primary religion
Ethnoreligion
Strategic Progress Index ?
Engaged yet Unreached
Evangelical
Less than 2%
GSEC ?
Less than 2% Evangelical, No Recent CP Activity
Lostness priority ?
Expanding Unreached People Group
Region
Southern Africa, Africa
Location
Kavango East and Zambezi regions

Where they live

Gospel status

The Mashi are Engaged yet Unreached, which means fewer than 2% are evangelical Christians, but there are sustained efforts to establish self-sustaining churches consistent with evangelical faith and practice. In GSEC terms, this people group is less than 2% evangelical, some evangelical resources are available, but there has been no active church planting among them within the past two years.

  • Congregations exist No
  • Church planting in the last two years No Churches Planted

Next steps for the Mashi

  • Continue prayer and fasting for this group
  • Continue gospel seed sowing and church planting among this group
  • Begin training up local leaders to lead and develop strategies to reach their own people

Primary religion

Ethnoreligion

80% adherents

Primary language

Mashi (Zambia) · Atlantic-Congo family

64% speak Mashi (Zambia)

Gospel resources in Mashi (Zambia)

  • Bible available
  • JESUS Film available
  • Radio programs not available
  • Gospel recordings available
  • Audio resources available
  • Bible stories not available

Films

Find more at the JESUS Film Project, Bible.com and Faith Comes by Hearing.

Pray for the Mashi

  1. Matthew 9:37–38. Ask the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest field.
  2. 2 Timothy 2:2. Pray for faithful local leaders who will teach others, so that the church multiplies.
  3. Ephesians 5:8. Pray that those walking in darkness will turn to the light and live as children of light.
  4. Romans 10:14–15. Ask God to send messengers, so that people can hear, believe and call on the name of the Lord.

Download a prayer guide

Mashi in other countries

The same people is also reported in 1 other country.

People groupCountryPopulationStatus
MashiZambia112,000Engaged yet Unreached

Know something we don't? Submit updates to IMB Global Research.