Ryan Hreljac

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]

Collecting contaminated water from a source in project area, Uganda.

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 includingThe Oprah Winfrey Show.[15]

In 2001 Hreljac founded Ryan's Well Foundation, a registered Canadian charity, to build in Africa and educate children about sanitation and safe water.[16][17]

Ryan with children in project area in Uganda, August 2023.

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 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]

Ryan Hreljac with partner in Uganda, August 2023.

Children enjoying new, clean water source in Ghana.

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]

• Official website
• United Nations Millennium Declaration
• United Nations Water for Life, 2005–2015