The purpose for the development of Em’seni camp was to design a camp of excellence for teens to get away from the normal stresses of life and technology and allow them to make better choices for their lives. The camp was designed for teens but is still adult friendly.
In 1998 the idea became a reality when Hylton and Jenny Green, the owners of Middledale Farm near Ladysmith, offered 4 hectares of their land, on the banks of the Tugela River downstream from the Spioenkop Dam and nestled under the famous Boer War battle site of Spioen Kop itself.
The Em’seni Story Begins
Thus began a long and sometimes arduous process of creating The Spioenkop Trust to own the land; the design concept discussions; planning permission approval; dealing with lifting a land claim; raising finance; appointing contractors and finally construction. Eventually the first buildings were ready for use in 2005.
This whole process was only accomplished through dedicated work by volunteers and Board members, sustained effort from the staff, and heart-warming commitment to the concept from architects, engineers, surveyors and lawyers. Deeply humbling was the incredible generosity of all the donors whose gifts, both large and small, turned a dream into reality.
To date over R 7,500,000 has been invested in the site through the extraordinary generosity of donors. The facilities include a large dining hall, large conference hall, small conference room, fully equipped modern kitchen, ablutions, 2 houses for the staff, a self-contained apartment for 9 GAP Team members, a swimming pool, a landscaped playing field with underground irrigation, and accommodation which can cater for 140 guests.
Numerous activities have been developed for adventure activities on camps and are being constantly upgraded.
Extra accommodation is planned in future development along with exciting wilderness and bush camps.