Ryan Hreljac is a Canadian activist, who established the Ryan's Well Foundation to bring clean water and sanitation to people in developing countries. He has received numerous awards for his work, and he was the youngest person ever to be bestowed with the Order of Ontario
Hreljac is the son of Susan and Mark Hreljac [1] of Kemptville, Ontario. [2] He has three brothers: Keegan, Jordan and Jimmy. [3] Jimmy Akana was Hreljac's first pen pal from Uganda. Jimmy's parents disappeared during the country's civil war and he was raised by an aunt. [4] He used to get up at midnight so that he could fetch water for his aunt before school. [5] The two boys met during Hreljac's visit in 2000 to the Angolo Primary School in Uganda, where the first well that he funded was drilled. [6] Jimmy was later abducted by a rebel group, Lord's Resistance Army, and then escaped to the home of an aid worker. The Hreljac family paid for his schooling for a couple of years and then brought him to Canada. The brothers both graduated from high school in June 2000. [7] Ryan's family adopted Jimmy, and he became a Canadian citizen in 2007. [8]
After his graduation from St. Michael's Catholic High School in Kemptville, Ontario, Hreljac graduated in 2013 from University of King's College in Halifax, Nova Scotia; [9] his field of study was International Development and Political Science. Hreljac was employed by Youth Ottawa, a nongovernmental organization, after he graduated in 2013. [10]
When he was six years old, Hreljac learned in school, during a lesson from his Grade One teacher, Nancy Prest, that many people in Africa have a very hard time getting access to clean water. [8] [11] Hreljac began raising money for those affected by the global water crisis by doing household chores, which netted him $70 over a four-month period. [8] [12] Doing more chores and fund-raising, within twelve months he had raised $2,000, [7] which turned out to be the actual cost to build a well at that time, according to WaterCan, a non-profit organization that provides clean water to poor countries. [8] [11] In January 1999, he sent the money to WaterCan, who had the first well drilled in northern Uganda alongside Angolo Public School. It was built by the Canadian Physicians for Aid and Relief that year. [8] In two years, he raised CA$61,000. [13] The Canadian International Development Agency heard of Hreljac's efforts and matched $2 for every dollar that he raised. [14] He told his story in many appearances in local and international media including The Oprah Winfrey Show . [15]
In 2001 Hreljac founded Ryan's Well Foundation, a registered Canadian charity, to build[ clarification needed ] in Africa and educate children about sanitation and safe water. [16] [17]
The foundation's objective has expanded to build wells anywhere in the world. [16] Millions of dollars have been raised for water and sanitation projects in Africa, Central America, and South Asia. [11] [17] The foundation has brought clean water to more than 1,402,006 people in 16 developing countries, through 1,724 water and 1,321 sanitation projects. [8] It has partners in twelve countries, including Burkina Faso, Ghana, Kenya, Uganda, Togo and Haiti to identify the communities most in need of a water or sanitation project. [18] It has worked with Rotary Clubs on well projects. [19] By 2015, it completed 900 projects benefiting 824,038 people. Some of the projects were for rain harvesting tanks in areas—like Guatemala, Haiti, and India—where that was the optimal solution for safe water. [18] The 1,000th well was dug in the fall of 2015 in northern Uganda, [20] in a district neighboring the first well. [21] Supporters of the foundation include Matt Damon, Oprah Winfrey, [22] Jane Goodall, and Prince Charles. [16]
Hreljac became assistant project manager at the foundation in January 2015, in preparation for a June 2015 opening for project manager. His on-the-job training included trips to Kenya, Burkina Faso, and Uganda to train locals how to maintain their wells. He has also traveled extensively—including Brazil, Mexico, Qatar, and Argentina—to speak about the foundation. [18]
As of June 2023 [update] Hreljac is executive director of the Ryan's Well Foundation, a position he has held since 2019. He still appears in media and presents to organizations and school classes worldwide. [23]
Hreljac received the World of Children Awards in 2003, and a second time at the Montage Beverly Hills in April 2016 as an alumni winner. [20] In 2004, he was named a Paul Harris Fellow. [19] Hreljac was made a Lifesaver hero by The My Hero Project by late 2010. [8]
He is the youngest person ever to receive the Order of Ontario. He has also been awarded the Canadian Meritorious Service Medal, the Duke of Edinburgh Gold Award, The Wolf Award, and Planet Africa's Nelson Mandela Humanitarian Award. [18]
Sanitation refers to public health conditions related to clean drinking water and treatment and disposal of human excreta and sewage. Preventing human contact with feces is part of sanitation, as is hand washing with soap. Sanitation systems aim to protect human health by providing a clean environment that will stop the transmission of disease, especially through the fecal–oral route. For example, diarrhea, a main cause of malnutrition and stunted growth in children, can be reduced through adequate sanitation. There are many other diseases which are easily transmitted in communities that have low levels of sanitation, such as ascariasis, cholera, hepatitis, polio, schistosomiasis, and trachoma, to name just a few.
Carleton Place is a town in Eastern Ontario, Canada, in Lanark County, about 46 kilometres (29 mi) west of downtown Ottawa. It is located at the crossroads of Highway 15 and Highway 7, halfway between the towns of Perth, Almonte, Smiths Falls, and the nation's capital, Ottawa. Canada's Mississippi River, a tributary of the Ottawa River flows through the town. Mississippi Lake is just upstream by boat, as well as by car.
The Ontario Agricultural College (OAC) originated at the agricultural laboratories of the Toronto Normal School, and was officially founded in 1874 as an associate agricultural college of the University of Toronto. Since 1964, it has become affiliated with the University of Guelph, which operates campuses in Guelph and Ridgetown and formerly in Alfred and Kemptville, all in Ontario.
WaterAid is an international non-governmental organization, focused on water, sanitation and hygiene. It was set up in 1981 as a response to the UN International Drinking Water decade (1981–1990). As of 2018, it was operating in 34 countries.
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The H2O Africa Foundation was an NGO founded by Matt Damon to raise awareness about clean water initiatives in Africa. It was part of the Running the Sahara expedition and documentary project undertaken by Damon, James Moll, LivePlanet, and the Independent Producers Alliance. In July 2009, the H2O Africa Foundation merged with WaterPartners to form Water.org, an organization co-founded by Matt Damon and Gary White of WaterPartners.
The Global Water Foundation (GWF) is a non-profit organisation concerned with delivering clean water and sanitation to needy communities. Retired professional tennis player Johan Kriek founded the organisation in 2005 after attending meetings of the World Economic Forum in Cape Town, South Africa. The goals of the GWF echo the Millennium Development Goals established at the United Nations' Millennium Summit in September 2000.
Water supply and sanitation in Canada is nearly universal and generally of good quality, but a lack of clean drinking water in many First Nations communities remains a problem. Water use in Canada is high compared to Europe, since water tariffs are low and 44% of users are not metered.
The water supply and sanitation sector in Ghana is a sector that is in charge of the supply of healthy water and also improves the sanitation of water bodies in the country.
The Ugandan water supply and sanitation sector made substantial progress in urban areas from the mid-1990s until at least 2006, with substantial increases in coverage as well as in operational and commercial performance. Sector reforms from 1998 to 2003 included the commercialization and modernization of the National Water and Sewerage Corporation (NWSC) operating in cities and larger towns, as well as decentralization and private sector participation in small towns.
The Rideau Valley Conservation Authority (RVCA) is an inter-municipal environmental protection and advisory agency that works with local municipalities, government agencies, special interest groups and the general public to protect the natural resources of the Rideau River watershed. The watershed drains an area of over 4,000 square kilometres of eastern Ontario and includes towns such as Portland, Perth, Smith Falls, Merrickville, Kemptville, and Manotick. About 620,000 live in the watershed, mostly deriving from the City of Ottawa. There are 18 municipalities within the valley and most people, outside of Ottawa, draw their drinking water from the river or from groundwater.
Viva con Agua de Sankt Pauli is a charity founded in 2006 in the Hamburg quarter of St. Pauli. Viva con Agua is a network of people and organizations committed to establish access to clean drinking water and basic sanitation for all humans worldwide. Creative and joyful activities raise awareness for the global issues water, sanitation, and hygiene and simultaneously raise funds for worldwide water.
The Thirst Project is a non-profit organization whose aim is to bring safe drinking water to communities around the world where it is not immediately available. The Thirst Project raises money and builds Water, Sanitation, & Hygiene projects in communities that do not have immediate access to safe, clean drinking water. Actors Drake Bell, Ansel Elgort, Dylan O'Brien, Jennifer Lawrence and Chyler Leigh are supporters, as were the late Cameron Boyce and Naya Rivera. Cameron Boyce alone raised over $30,000 for Thirst Project, followed by another $15,000 raised in honor of Boyce in a fundraiser organized by Adam Sandler after Boyce's death by SUDEP.
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William Bryden George, also known as Baldy George, was a Canadian sports administrator and agriculturalist. He was president of the Canadian Amateur Hockey Association from 1952 to 1955, when Canada debated whether it would withdraw from the Ice Hockey World Championships and the Olympic Games. At issue was the perceived financial exploitation of the Canada men's national ice hockey team and abuse from European media on the Canadian style of physical play. He wanted a financial guarantee for the national team when it travelled since its participation increased attendance at events in Europe. Canada did not participate at the World Championships in 1953 and placed second in 1954, which led to heavy criticism by media in Canada for the failure to win. Although Canada won the 1955 Ice Hockey World Championships, George questioned future participation and was concerned that the game in Europe took on political and religious meanings in which Canada did not want to become involved.
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