When we first drilled the borehole at Haven of Hope, we were elated.
There was plenty of water beneath our property—enough to supply the Baby House compound and potentially serve families in our surrounding community who have no direct water source of their own.
It seemed like an incredible provision.
Then the water was tested.
The results showed naturally occurring fluoride at levels far above recommended safe drinking-water guidelines. We had an abundant source of water beneath our feet, but we couldn’t safely use it for drinking. We were deflated.
And at the time, there wasn’t a filtration solution accessible to us that could adequately address the amount of fluoride in our water.
So we learned to work around it.
Rainwater has carried us a long way
Over the years, rainwater harvesting has become an important part of how Haven of Hope meets its water needs. Today, we have the capacity to store nearly 100,000 liters of rainwater, and we are incredibly thankful for it.
But rainwater has an obvious limitation: eventually, you need rain.
During Kenya’s driest months, our stored supply can run low. Meanwhile, the borehole continues to provide water year-round. We use it throughout the compound and it currently supplies our aquaponics system—but because of the fluoride level, it has never become the drinking-water source we originally hoped it would be.
Until now.
A solution is finally within reach.
We now have access to a reverse osmosis filtration system capable of treating our borehole water and removing the excess fluoride.
That opens the door to something we have hoped for since the borehole was first drilled: taking the abundant water already beneath Haven of Hope and making it safe for drinking.
The proposed system would provide filtered water for the babies and staff at Haven of Hope and allow us to supply our existing community water kiosk with treated drinking water.
That means the impact can extend beyond our gates.
Families in the surrounding community could have greater access to affordable, clean water without traveling elsewhere to find it. Water sold through the kiosk could also generate a small stream of income for HCO, helping offset some of the ongoing costs of ministry.
Safe water for our babies.
Clean water for our neighbors.
Sustainable income for the future.
It’s one part of a bigger vision.
Water isn’t a new direction for HCO. It is one of three projects at the heart of our sustainability plan: water, solar and aquaponics.
Each addresses a different need, but they share the same purpose: using the resources God has entrusted to us wisely, reducing ongoing costs, creating opportunities for sustainable income, and strengthening Haven of Hope for the future.
We’re already seeing how interconnected these projects can be.
Our borehole water is being used in the aquaponics system. The fish are growing well, while the vegetables have struggled more than we expected. We are continuing to learn and adjust, including exploring whether the high fluoride level in the water may be one contributing factor.
We don’t yet know the answer, but it is another reason we are learning to look at sustainability as a connected system rather than a collection of individual projects.
Water comes first.
The complete reverse osmosis system will cost approximately $16,000, and water is our first priority within HCO’s year-end sustainability goal.
What makes this project especially exciting to us is that we aren’t looking for a new water source.
The water is already there.
The borehole is already drilled. The water already reaches our compound and kiosk. The need within HCO and our surrounding community is already present.
What has changed is that we now have access to a solution that wasn’t available to us before.
After years of having abundant water beneath our feet that we couldn’t safely drink, we have an opportunity to bring this story full circle.
Will you help us turn the water we already have into safe, clean water for the people around us?
