After getting a few leads from locals involved in the construction business, I visited TAP Zambia Limited which is based in Chilanga.  They manufacture asbestos roofing sheets as well as other concrete based composite products like drainage pipes, culverts.  The plant is massive and has been around for years, serving the infrastructure needs of Zambia.

What I discovered was that the plant has a lot of discarded product in their sewer-main piping division.  Because each pipe needs to be coupled with another pipe, each segment has a male and female end.  When one end is deffective then the product is discarded as scrap.  It turns out they were willing to sell these otherwise intact products at a significantly reduced rate.  Being 6 inches in diameter, and manufactured out of reinforced concrete, these  4 meter long pipes are used by construction crews for carport, chalet and porch uprights. Getting the material was an absolute fiasco, requiring several trips back and forth – not to mention many hours of waiting.

When we first navigated our way through the maze of access roads to the rear scrap yard we could see that much of the product was covered with vegetation.  Within two minutes of getting out of our lorry (truck) a security guard who was shadowing us killed a black mamba who was emerging out of the stacked product just meters from us.  As we loaded the product onto the flat bed, we encountered a second snake.  The Lord was definitely protecting us in that snake infested area.

All in all, it took us close to three days to secure these 30 pieces of material.  We’re very grateful however for the savings…  as well as a quality product that should last more than 60 years in a termite environment.  I look forward to posting pictures of these uprights installed.  A team from Illinois will be coming in a month’s time to mount header boards onto these as well as trusses for a roof.  Please pray that all goes according to plan.

Work is now finished with the four-seater pit latrine we’ve installed for Campground 1.  It’s a concrete block building with a finished exterior.   I figured AZ should try to make our own earthen stucco using concrete mix and red clay dirt found on the property.  Locally available resources are the way to go – as we try develop the campground to be appropriate in scale to it’s surroundings.  Thank you to those who donated funds to make this unit possible.  We’re slowly but steadily building the infrastructure needed to bring groups of kids and churches to the property.

I hired a graphic specialist to paint the Ciyanjano logo on the wall fence out at the mission’s retreat center.  The graphic designer said that he had the ability to make an exact copy of the logo.  Of course, we’ve learned never to take a salesman literally, but the font that he used was so completely different than the font that Andrea designed the logo with.  The risk that we take when a “mom and pop” establishment is hired to do the work is both unnerving and comical at the same time.  One thing is for sure, we really needed to repaint the sign at the property’s entrance so that visitors could easily identify that they have now arrived at their destination.  After pulling up to the sliding gate they can see a larger Ciyanjano logo painted on the wall fence.  I’m curious what others think?

Late last year, Action Zambia undertook a project to put a perimeter fence around Ciyanjano (our campground and retreat center for Lusaka churches).  It was a big step forward for the ministry center as preparations are being made to run youth camps and church retreats on site.  With vulnerable children present, the ministry felt that some level of security needed to be ensured.  The work for that project is now complete.  For more information and pictures about the perimeter fence, download the presentation by CLICKING HERE.