As holiday shoppers were busy looking for last-minute gifts this week, a group of local students was worrying whether children in places like Haiti and the Dominican Republic will simply have enough clean water to drink on Christmas.

Members of the Water Justice Alliance, a student group at Rockland Community College, have been raising funds throughout the year in support of their efforts to bring safe water to communities facing widespread illness and death because of limited access to clean water.

"Through unity of minds and with proper resources we can grant the people of the world their inalienable right to clean drinking water," said RCC student Stan Morodokhin of Congers, who is co-chairman of the Water Justice Alliance with Student Government Association president Marvin Mathew of New City.

With the sale of awareness bracelets and other fundraising activities, the students say they have been able to purchase simple, effective water purification systems for communities in need. They are also working with international RCC alumni who have returned to communities which lack clean drinking water, like alumna Liliana Alcala, who returned to her home in the Dominican Republic.

Haiti continues to have problems with its clean drinking water supply since a massive earthquake last January destroyed much of that nation's infrastructure, and the student group is working with RCC alumna Sophia Francois in Port-au-Prince, to distribute water purification systems and other items needed for the community. 

On Thursday, Morodokhin, Mathew and RCC alum Mark Svensson of Orangeburg spent time packing up supplies they purchased to help residents of Haiti. In the care package are 480 packets used for purifying water and two seven-gallon jugs for storing water. They are also sending along some toys and clothing.

Morodokhin said the parent of an RCC student is volunteering to bring the supplies with her on an upcoming trip to Haiti, ensuring the material gets to Haiti quickly and that it gets into the right hands.

As students continue their efforts, Morodokhin said many Rocklanders are stunned when they learn that water supply problems continue to cause thousands of deaths around the world.

"It's not that they don't care, it's that they just don't know," Morodokhin said. "People are in disbelief."

Morodokhin said the Water Justice Alliance is working on expanding by creating high school chapters in Rockland County.

Spreading The Word

In November, the Water Justice Alliance presented its strategic timeline and program to the SUNY Student Assembly, which represents the students of all 64 SUNY campuses, and received an enthusiastic endorsement, Morodokhin said.

Water Justice Alliance chapters have also formed at several other campuses, including Georgetown University (where Svensson is a student), Suffolk University, and the University of Miami. At an international conference, The Global Summit II: Humanity Uniting for a Sustainable Future held in San Francisco CA, Mathew and Morodokin presented the Water Justice Alliance initiative to many leaders in the field, and in January they will be presenting at a water justice conference in Washington, DC.

They have also been invited to participate in the Clinton Global Initiative University program at the University of California, San Diego in April.