A 2017 study published by the World Health Organization and United Nations Children’s Fund reported that three in 10 people around the world do not have access to clean and safe drinking water.
Once established on campus, the group will focus on educating students about the global water crisis and fundraising to improve access to clean drinking water.
Brendan Geen, the president of Charity: Water at BU and a junior majoring in business administration, said the organization could end up being a major fundraising group on campus.
“I think that Charity: Water at Binghamton University has the potential to become a cornerstone advocacy and fundraising organization that supports an underrepresented crisis happening around the world,” Geen wrote in an email.
While volunteering as a photojournalist in West Africa, Harrison experienced unsanitary conditions firsthand and realized the potential he had to make a difference, leading him to devote his life to water advocacy.
The nonprofit also constructs rainwater harvesting systems, which use gutters on rooftops to funnel rain into holding tanks, where it is stored before being used or consumed.
With efforts from Charity: Water, the water crisis in some countries has been seeing some positive responses, according to a 2015 UNICEF report.
Geen wrote that this event, along with others this semester and next fall, will be focused on advocacy and raising awareness for their group.
Other plans include a walk with a 40-pound container full of water — a simulation of the weight a person has to carry to bring back water in developing countries.
Maura Koszalka, a junior majoring in biology, attended the meeting and said she is interested in helping people all over the world.