What Action Will You Take?

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(Photo: Courtesy Ryan's Well Foundation)

Ryan’s Well Foundation started with one young boy’s dream to bring clean water to people without it. Through the foundation, Ryan Hreljac, now age 15, reaches out over a span of 7,000 miles to touch the lives of families living in Africa. And, he hasn’t stopped there. He continues to expand his outreach to families in India and Central America.

The result: over the course of the last nine years, Ryan and his foundation have built 266 wells in disadvantaged areas, supplying clean water to almost 450,000 people. Read on to learn about Ryan and his work in this interview.

Q: Why is it important to help others?

Ryan: I think everyone on this planet has a responsibility to help others. The world is like a great big puzzle and our job in life is to figure out where our piece fits. Mine just happens to fit with clean water.

Q: Describe someone special whom you have met in your travels.

(Photo: Jim MacMahon/MapMan, Scholastic Inc.)

Ryan: My very best friend from Africa is Jimmy Akana. Jimmy is from northern Uganda. He went to Angolo Primary School where my very first well was built in January 1999. There was trouble in Uganda and his life was in danger, so he came to Canada to live with my family. Now he is my brother, Jimmy Akana Hreljac!

Q: Any advice for our readers?

Ryan: You really can accomplish anything but you have to be ready to work like crazy and never give up. You need to believe in your dreams and in your own power to turn those dreams into reality! You…yes, YOU can change the world. Take the first step today and then don’t stop, ever!

Learn more about Ryan’s Well Foundation or sign up to be a volunteer by visiting the official Web site.

(Photo: Courtesy Ryan's Well Foundation)

 

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