The Thirst Project, an organization that tasks students to spread awareness about the lack of water in developing nations, has a chapter being started at Robert Morris University thanks to juniors Sarah Johnson, Alyssa Dunn and Abigail Socks.

The goal of The Thirst Project is to educate students on the global water crisis. Developing nations around the world do not have access to clean water and with that come health issues, including miscarriages due to carrying large containers of water from nearby rivers and streams, as well as the spread of diseases such as dysentery.

“There are millions of people that don’t have access to clean drinking water and when you don’t have safe, clean drinking water that impacts many things mortality so death,” said Paul Spradley, the club’s faculty adviser. “Also, how you’re processing information if you’re not drinking clean water, you’re not able to think because you’re not healthy, so your education.”

The organization then encourages students to raise money to build wells in countries without clean water. The organization estimates it will take $12,000 to build one well.

“I knew about it (The Thirst Project) from watching many You-tubers.” said Johnson, the president of the club. “I found out through Alli Speed (a You-tuber). I knew about it back in high school and when I stopped being involved in Rotary in high school I needed something in school, my sophomore year I grabbed three of my friends and we started it.”

According to the meeting on Sept. 12, the goal of The Thirst Project is to raise $12,000 in two years. The club will charge members a due of $10.

“The dues are going to go towards the money that gets put into the events to make it happen. The money that comes out of the events that is fundraised is going to go towards the 12,000,” said Johnson. “Our goal is $3,000 a semester and $12,000 by the time the five of us are seniors.”

“Other people aspire to raise $1,000. So they’ve shot above what the average is, which is what I like to hear and if we fall below that we at least tried to beat what everyone is doing,” said Spradley. “I think it is lofty and I applaud them for reaching for such a lofty goal. Maybe in five to ten years it’s not a gathering of $3,000, maybe it’s $6,000 and splitting it and sending it to two or three locations.”

The club is looking for different ways of fundraising including bake sales and raffles. Most notably, they hope to hold an event called ‘Touch a Truck.’ This would be where people pay to gather and keep at least one hand on a truck, then the last person who still has one hand on the truck wins a prize.

“That’s probably going to be one of the biggest events,” said Dunn, the club’s vice president. “Nobody else does something like that so that’s going to be a big one that Thirst Project wants to do.”

The Thirst Project holds their meetings on Monday evenings in the Hale Center and can be contacted on their Revolution Portal.