Camp Ciyanjano Tour

by | Dec 12, 2024 | Zambia Mission Trip

One of the aspects of the trip that I have not talked about yet is Camp Ciyanjano. Part of the reason why is that while we were in Lusaka, there was not a camp happening on the grounds. That does not mean that the camp did not have a lot going on. I want to give you a quick tour of the camp and what it was like to be there, because it helped me to better understand what the Huckabys spend their time on.

As you enter on to the grounds of Ciyanjano, you pass the reading room on your right and come to a front gate covered by the camp logo. If you turn to the left here, it will take you to the Huckaby’s house. Turn to the right and you end up in the larger camp area. Straight ahead through the gate is the Ripley Center, which is where we will start our tour.

The Ripley Center is the conference center portion of the camp. It has a number of small chalets that provide comfortable living. I did not check all of these out, but did stay in one of them myself. It had a small kitchen, full bath, living room and sleeping area. My kitchen came with a nice welcome basket full of Zambian snacks, but I can’t promise that all who stay are spoiled like I was!

In the time that I stayed at the camp, one of the other chalets was inhabited for a few days by pastor Enock, who lives about 4 hours away and was in town visiting friends and family. Another chalet had an American who was meeting with the staff on farming practices. I imagine that this section is used for all manner of visitors and needs.

In the larger camp area, there is a playground, chapel, outdoor kitchen, amphitheater, and cabins that can house up to 150 people. This is the large open area that churches (and other groups) use for outreach and retreat. I have included some camp pictures that Kelly provided to show what this area looks like when it is teaming with life.
Adjacent to this area is a soccer pitch that is open to the neighborhood and had people on it most of the time that I was there. Sometimes it was just a group of smaller kids running around, but occasionally there was a serious game going on with the adults. It is obvious that this area is both helpful to the camp and a blessing to the surrounding community. Another blessing to the surrounding community is the open tap with clean water.

Those who have been part of our church will recognize the Ciyanjano reading room project that we helped with a number of years ago. The Huckabys were given a shipping container that we helped fill with bikes, books, and miscellaneous other needs. This was then shipped to the camp and modified to serve as a small library for the surrounding community. The reading room does not allow people to check books out, but to come and use them at the reading room. I wondered how well this model would work. I was pleasantly surprised to see that the outdoor reading space was filled with kids, even when the reading room itself was not open. Part of this is because it was exam week and the students needed a place to study — but Kelly assured me that there are almost always kids there.

The camp was buzzing with activity, even on a week when there was no camp going on. If 100+ kids were added, the place would be crazy. It was great to see how they have structured the camp to bring benefit to the surrounding neighborhoods, not just for the people paying to use the campground.

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