At Warm Heart we aim for resilience and self-sufficiency. Water is a critical component for our success. We have added gutters and rainwater harvesting tanks to some buildings, but we still have a long way to go. Strong storms have damaged some of the gutters channeling rainwater. As the staff and children add biochar to the gardens and test other agricultural techniques, they know it will all come back to access to water to keep the gardens growing and our children fed.
Global warming is causing unpredictable weather patterns which directly impacts our water supply. Recently we have seen an increase in drought severity and frequency. We have been in a position before where we have run out of water for weeks at a time. (Imagine living with 40 children and no water!) Our young smart farmer's gardens continue to grow and produce food for our children, but need a source of water to thrive during drought periods.
This project will allow us to repair damaged gutters and expand our rainwater harvesting system. We will add gutters with catchment tanks for the remaining roofs, add water harvesting tanks for farm water to keep our gardens and food supply growing strong, and we will build a much needed shelter for our vehicles with an integrated water catchment system.
Now that we have installed our solar panels we are able harness the power of the sun for our electrical power needs. Harvesting rainwater is the next step towards self-sufficiency. By tapping into the monsoon rains it provides us a better water management system and will help get us through future drought periods.
