OikosNomos.world

OikosNomos.world (ONW) is a global thinktank that aims to build water taps in the desert, turning seawater into drinking water. Or by pumping sweetwater from boreholes. Or by converting night-time dew to drink.

The technology is there. The largest version of a desalination machine, for example, is a 20-foot container with filters for reverse osmosis, and solar panels to power it. The machine costs €200,000 to purchase and install. It produces 100,000 liters of clean water per day. Using nothing but free and plentiful seawater and sunshine.

The water will be sold commercially to parties such as brewers and beverage companies at a premium price, to make SeaBeer. Water will be given away for free to poor populations in the direct vicinity of the tap. They will use their mobile phones to open the tap. It will then release two to five liters of water. This can be repeated as often as required but prevents misuse.

Any water produced but not sold will go into fishponds, to be run by the local community. In return, they will provide physical security, e.g. against theft or vandalism, and do simple maintenance work such as cleaning the pipes and filters. The ponds themselves are simple, mere holes in the ground of approximately one cubic yard, lined with plastic, and home to 10-15 fish (e.g. catfish, or tilapia).

We want to finance this!

Not through donations or one-off kindness, but via sustainable financial instruments such as an interest-bearing bond, the DeFi Hunger & Poverty Water Bond. The bonds also finance the re-energizing & transformation of farms and vineyards into solar-fired hydro-powered Eco Estates, our Walden 2.0 initiative.

Vision

All our initiatives are solar-powered, and community-driven. Sunlight desalinates seawater, pumps up water in the desert, coverts dew to drink, or powers production of interlocking building blocks. Water quenches thirst, grows plants, and waters animals. Food ends poverty & hunger, bringing peace of mind. Our Bond is financed with love.

We finance technology to grow better products and fetch better prices. This results in stable work & income. Resilience for all populations is our ultimate aim.

This is our double helix of action & impact.

Genesis

This is the story of how ONW came about.
Day 1	Once upon a time there were two former colleagues who had kept in touch over the years. Not quite like Adam and Eve, but still. Adam habitually spammed Eve with news about technical innovations.
Day 2	Eve got tired at some point — or very interested, who knows. She connected Adam with a bright young fellow in Windhoek, who in turn introduced a former MP. Chairman of boards, and inspired thinker.
Day 3	They started brainstorming, and articulated a shared mission and vision. Let‘s work in ever-growing spirals to lift people out of poverty and hunger.
Day 4	Adam discussed this plan with his oldest son, who immediately said Oikos Nomos, Ancient Greek for household / estate management.
Day 5	Then the ex-MP dropped a bombshell. He had a building that could serve as an innovation hub. But it also had unpaid water bills. Action was urgent.
Day 6	Adam serendipitously happened upon a machine that turns seawater into drinking water. And he read about a Dutch water bond that has been around since 1624, and still pays out interest. The DeFi Hunger & Poverty Water Bond was born. DeFi meaning Decentralised Finance. And defy, of course.
Day 7	This is where recorded history ends. The future is now!

About

Who we are is what we do with what we have — Vince Lombardi
We	ONW is a global thinktank that empowers poor and disadvantaged populations by fundraising for their development, while accelerating growth. If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together. That is why we partner with local change agents.
What	Our aim is to add value by lending a hand in kickstarting and developing sustainable, replicable, and horizontally scalable business models. Our local change agents help set up, grow, and finance small-scale businesses. These account for more than 90% of all employment in Africa.
Where	The first initiative we are catalyzing is in Windhoek, Namibia, assisting in setting up a business incubation and innovation lab. Namibia is the second-most unequal country in the world, after South Africa. More than 43% of the population live in poverty, which affects women in particular. Income-generating activities, therefore, are of vital importance, with direct impact.
How	Rather than being yet another foundation doing projects, we accelerate business. We work in ever-growing spirals, with one spiral building on earlier ones. We accelerate what works, and learn from our mistakes. All our initiatives are powered by sun, water, and love. Read our Genesis.

Big-time Farmers

Many articles & reports about agriculture in Africa talk about smallholders or smallholder farmers. We propose to end that. If you look at how much time & effort they spend, calling them big-time farmers is much more factual, and heroic.

Don’t know why, but even the farmers themselves use diminutive terms. No self-confidence, self-esteem, or pride, it seems. And the same goes for international organizations that are supposed to stand up for them, including:

What can we do to change people’s mental model, mind set, and language? Leading by example, and setting up solar-fired hydro-powered Eco Estates is our answer. Live, work & learn while we nourish and train future leaders.

Join the discussion. Mail us, or visit the Page IX community.

Big-Time Fashionistas

Hemp is one of the most versatile plants on the planet. It does not require much water, but it can absorp a lot. The Dutch used it to fertilize and desalinate their soil, which they had to reclaim from the sea first. Its fibers are strong enough to make ropes & sails. And it can be used to create beautiful cloth & clothes. Last but not least, it is a great carbon store. Until 1883, 75-90% of all paper in the world was made from hemp. Bibles, maps, banknotes, stocks & bonds, and newspapers.

Read more about hemp here (EU) and here (KE): food, fiber, fuel.

Water Bond

The oldest existing water bond in the world is from 1624. And it still pays out interest. It was issued to finance dikes, windmills, and other critical infrastructure. Anything to keep the water out. Times have changed. We need to get water in, up, or condensed.

As the facsimiles show, it only takes fifty people to save a kingdom. Decentralised Finance (DeFi) avant la lettre. We aim to revive this tradition with the DeFi Hunger & Poverty Water Bond. Saving lives, 100,000 liters of desalinated seawater (per day) at a time. Or 1,000 liters of dew converted to drink, per day.

The Netherlands Water Bank issued a seven-year €1B bond this year. So it can be done.

Impact Bond

Water is the essence of life. The tree from which we all branch. Yet two billion people lack access to safe & clean drinking water. That is one in every four of us.

By producing 100,000 liters of drinking water a day, ONW aims to save or better lives. With every single machine that we finance & install. Only two liters per person are needed per day to stay healthy.

See Unicef’s report Thirsting for a Future! Or World Bank’s Water for Shared Prosperity.

Slides

The slideshow below embodies our vision. Click the buttons to (re)cycle the slides.

Water Bond

Slideshows are forever. Watch & wonder!

you(r)tubers

Meet Ishmael and Simon, from Windhoek, Namibia. Over the next few months they will be posting regularly about their hopes, dreams, and adventures. Nothing serious, just a quest to end hunger & poverty.

Ishmael

Ishmael (24) lost his father at a very young age. His village (Okatjana) is so small, it is difficult to find — even on the map. The diesel pump that operates the village’s water borehole is old. Worse still, the water is drying up. With hard work and a little help from his friend — Ora et Labora — he managed to get a BSc in Business Management from the Namibian University of Science & Technology. He has just handed in his thesis to complete an Honors Program. Ishmael has high hopes of becoming a Master once. He is passionate about community development, loves horses, and is an agricultural catalyst.

Simon

Simon (14) dreams of being able to finish high school. He is really clever, but no match for Covid and bad luck. He lost two years, and is now too old (and wise) to sit with 12-year olds, and too disadvantaged to go to college.

Meet the Taters

Ishmael and Simon are like brothers. They like planning & planting. They volunteer at the Proeftuin nursery. They are experimenting with how to grow potatoes in bags, with a home-grown drip irrigation system. They have to be resourceful, as water is scarce and money is tight. The irrigation system is an upside-down water bottle, with a punctured hole in the cap. Cheap & cheerful.

If and when it works, they aim to help feed the 30,000 families of the Shack Dwellers Federation of Namibia. One day, they hope to win the Potatolympics, or tater tossing.

Proeftuin

Proeftuin is Dutch/Afrikaans for nursery, foodgarden, test bed, all in one. It is located in Windhoek, and hosted at the PEACE Centre. The Proeftuin is facing severe drought and, even worse, water bills. A GoFundMe campagne was started to help save it: the gift of growth. A big thank you to all who have donated so far.

We have raised €1,485 so far. We could use lots more. For a better, greener future. Please help our you(r)tubers make it happen. https://gofund.me/a1bd5dbc

Walden 2.0

In 1898, famous Dutch psychiatrist and novelist Frederik van Eeden founded Walden. This was his attempt at recreating Utopia, inspired by his friend and fellow writer Thoreau. It failed, for lack of proper management. His troupe of artists and creatives did little to sustain themselves, or the land.

In 2025, OikosNomos (ONW) and friends will try again. We aim to transform existing farms and vineyards into fully regenerative bluetec eco estates. Re-energized by solar-fired hydro power. Financed with love, and bonds.

Big footsteps to fill. But with a footprint smaller than (great-grand) cousin Frederik’s.

Partners

Proud to work with wonderful partners. May the rains fall softly on their fields.
	Agri-wallet Agri-wallet is an innovative, award-winning platform that strengthens big-time farmer value chains. It allows them to transact with confidence, and to get the finance they need to grow sustainably.
	Page IX Page IX is an online digital marketing agency & newsletter. Where Africa and the world converge. In the heart of their digital pages, a vibrant tapestry unfolds. A fusion of continents, cultures, and dreams. Page IX Magazine is more than ink on paper. It’s a symphony of ideas, a compass pointing toward progress, and a sanctuary for storytellers.
	Pimp My Village Pimp My Village empowers migrants and diaspora, who were born in developing countries but now live in Europe, to run projects in their country of origin. They are aware of what is going on, still have regular contact with family and friends, and are motivated to use their knowledge, expertise, and network. As a result, their initiatives are effective and sustainable.

Team

Supervisory Board
Chairman	Cees Hesp	NL
Special Envoy	Aehriael Rianna	SA
Advisory Board
Marine & Medical Biotechnology (CSO)	Kylie van Deinsen-Hesp	NL
Intercultural Communications & Visibility	Georgina Kwakye	GH
Operations (COO)	Ingrid Henckert-Weißnar	NA
Impact Investing	Charlotte Wilming	NL
Carcinogenics & Cancers	Warnyta Minnaard	NL
Social & Ecological Corporate Governance	Roy Heesakkers	NL
Technology & IT (CTO)	Vincent de Winter	NL
Living Labs & Experiments	Sijmen de Hoogh	KE
Strategy	Herman Abels	NL
Data Science & AI (CDS)	Casper Hesp	NL
Participatory Social Research	Christine Fenenga	NL