As the construction of our complex evolved, we understood the need to implement as many alternative power sources as we could, not only because obtaining consistent power in rural India is a challenge in and of itself, but also to control monthly expenses. When designing the kitchen we decided to install a solar-heated water tank as our primary source of power for a kitchen designed to use steam. For a low-cost sustainable food source we created a series of garden beds, 15-by-15 garden plots now filled with tomatoes, peppers, herbs, onions, carrots and curry leaves, a staple in the Indian diet. Nutrition is a critical part of our holistic approach to healthcare. Without a sufficient stable diet, the ARVs our kids take every day will not do what they were designed to; keep them healthy.

A clean, safe and consistent water source is one of the primary obstacles facing rural India. One of the first steps in this journey we searched for water. We drilled down eight times, in eight different locations around the compound before we hit water we could use. This is not uncommon in this area. The property lies within a region that has been part of a drought for more than three years. To supplement the well, we built two large cisterns to harvest rainwater during the monsoon. With a donated water filtration system on site we now have a year-round water supply for the building, including an irrigation system built into our planting beds, another part of our overall effort to utilize resources to the fullest.