Ryan Hreljac

Ryan Hreljac was born on May 31, 1991, in Kemptville, a small town in eastern Ontario, Canada. He grew up in a supportive, middle-class family—his mother Susan was a businesswoman, his father Mark worked in the public service—and his early childhood was unremarkable in most respects. But in January 1998, when Ryan was in first grade at Angus Glen Public School, his teacher Nancy Prest delivered a lesson that would change his life. She explained that in many parts of Africa, people—especially children—walked hours every day to collect water, and even then, the water often made them sick. Some children died from preventable waterborne diseases.

Most six-year-olds would have felt sympathy and forgotten by recess. Ryan did not. He went home that day and announced to his parents that he was going to earn money to buy a well for a village in Africa. His mother, assuming this was a passing phase, told him he could do extra chores. Ryan took her seriously. He vacuumed floors, washed windows, and picked up pine cones in the yard—earning ten or twenty-five cents at a time. After four months of work, he had saved $70. His mother then helped him contact WaterCan, a Canadian NGO. That's when Ryan learned the hard truth: $70 could buy a hand pump, but a real well cost $2,000.

Rather than being discouraged, Ryan simply recalibrated. He kept doing chores. His mother shared his story with friends, local newspapers picked it up, and soon churches, schools, and community groups across Ontario began sending donations. By the end of 1998, Ryan had raised the full $2,000. WaterCan selected Angolo Primary School, near the village of Otwal in northern Uganda, as the site. In January 1999, the well was drilled. It served the school and surrounding community, providing clean drinking water to hundreds of people for the first time.

Ryan's story resonated far beyond his hometown. Media coverage spread across Canada and internationally. He began speaking at schools and community events, explaining in his child's voice why clean water mattered. In 2001, Ryan traveled to Uganda for the first time and met Jimmy Akana, a student at Angolo Primary School whose life had been directly improved by the well. The two formed a deep friendship—Jimmy would later be sponsored to attend high school in Canada and the two remain close to this day. The visit to Uganda deepened Ryan's resolve and gave him firsthand understanding of the communities his work served.

By age ten, Ryan had raised enough money to fund multiple wells. In 2001, his parents helped him formally establish Ryan's Well Foundation (originally called 'Ryan's Well'), a registered Canadian charity dedicated to providing access to clean water and sanitation, and promoting hygiene education in developing countries. The foundation professionalized what had begun as a child's campaign, building partnerships with local NGOs, implementing community-led development models, and ensuring long-term maintenance of wells and latrines.

Ryan's Well Foundation has always emphasized sustainable, community-driven solutions. Rather than parachuting in and drilling wells, the foundation partners with local organizations and requires community participation—villagers contribute labor, form water committees, and take ownership of maintenance. This model ensures that wells continue to function long after they are built. The foundation also integrates sanitation and hygiene education, recognizing that infrastructure alone is insufficient without behavioral change.

Since its founding, Ryan's Well Foundation has completed over 1,700 water and sanitation projects across 17 countries, primarily in Africa but also in Latin America and Asia. These projects have brought safe water to more than one million people. The foundation has built wells, latrines, and handwashing stations, and has trained thousands of community health workers. Its work has been particularly impactful in Uganda, where the first well was drilled, but also in Kenya, Tanzania, Malawi, and Rwanda, among others.

Ryan himself remained deeply involved throughout his adolescence and into adulthood. He spoke at hundreds of events, appeared on Oprah, met heads of state, and used his platform to keep global attention focused on the water crisis. Even as he pursued his own education—studying international development at the University of King's College in Halifax, Nova Scotia—he continued to serve as the foundation's public face and chief advocate. Today, the foundation operates with a professional staff, but Ryan remains a board member and active spokesperson.

Ryan's impact has been recognized at the highest levels. He has received numerous awards and honors, including the Order of Ontario, Canada's Meritorious Service Medal, and the Governor General's Meritorious Service Medal. He was named one of Canada's Top 20 Under 20 and has been honored by organizations ranging from the World Economic Forum to Free the Children (now WE Charity). In 2006, he was inducted into the Order of Canada as a Member—an extraordinary recognition for someone still in their teens at the time.

His story has been the subject of multiple books, including 'Take Action! A Guide to Active Citizenship' by Marc and Craig Kielburger, and 'The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind' comparisons, though Ryan's narrative predates many similar youth-activist tales. His life has been featured in documentaries, news programs, and educational curricula worldwide. He has addressed the United Nations, spoken at the World Economic Forum in Davos, and met with world leaders including the Dalai Lama, Jane Goodall, and former South African president Nelson Mandela.

What distinguishes Ryan Hreljac's story is not only what he accomplished, but when and how. He started at an age when most children are learning to tie their shoes. He persisted not for a season but for decades. And he catalyzed a broader movement—inspiring thousands of young people to believe their actions could matter, regardless of age or resources. Schools around the world have launched 'Ryan's Well' campaigns, raising money and awareness in his name.

Ryan's message has always been simple: every person deserves access to clean water, and every person—no matter how young or how far from the problem—can contribute to solving it. He has consistently rejected the notion that children should wait until adulthood to engage with injustice. In interviews, he speaks with quiet conviction about the power of ordinary people to create extraordinary change. His approach is pragmatic, grounded in partnership and respect for the communities he serves, and free of savior narratives or paternalism.

Now in his thirties, Ryan continues his advocacy work while also pursuing studies and other professional interests. He has expanded his focus to include broader questions of global health, education, and equity, but clean water remains his foundational cause. The wells he funded as a child continue to flow, and the foundation he started continues to grow. His legacy is not a single dramatic gesture, but a sustained commitment—proof that the moral clarity of childhood, if nurtured and acted upon, can become a lifelong force for good.