This is the inspirational tale of a small boy’s mission to help those less fortunate than himself. Ryan was just six years old when he learnt that not everybody in the world has access to clean water. Desperate to help, he worked day and night to save enough money for a well to be dug in drought-stricken Uganda. His ambition soon grew and his altruistic nature dragged schoolmates and ultimately most of Canada with him. An uplifting and wonderfully touching story that reminds us all that we can change the world if we really believe.

A line of children stretches as far as the eye can see. As a car drives by, they start clapping and waving, clamouring to get a closer look at the occupants. The person they’re so keen to see is not a visiting dignitary or Hollywood star. It’s a little boy. After years of hard work, Ryan Hreljac is finally visiting his well in Uganda. Ryan was in first grade when his school teacher encouraged his class raise money for charity during lent. “She explained that people were dying because they didn’t have clean water and that just gave me a bad feeling inside,” he recalls. His teacher said it would cost $70 to build a well. “So I went home and begged and begged my mom and dad for seventy dollars.”Initially his parents didn’t take his request seriously, but Ryan refused to give up. Finally, they agreed to donate the money in exchange for extra chores. Four months later, Ryan had raised $70. Unfortunately, when his family contacted a charity, they learnt that it didn’t cost $70 to build a well; it cost $2,000. Still, Ryan refused to give up: “I said I’d do more chores.”A local paper heard about his quest and donations started flooding in. He began giving speeches at local schools to publicize his cause. Ten months later he had finally raised enough money. The well was built at a primary school in northern Uganda. His classmates started writing letters to the children at the school, and Ryan’s new pen friend, Jimmy, kept him in touch with news about his well.Ryan soon set himself a new goal: to buy a drilling rig and build more wells so that more people could have access to clean water. He needed $25,000. However, this time his whole school got involved. His neighbours donated their air-miles so that he could travel to Uganda so see the difference his well had made: “I was like wa-hoo! I’m going to Africa!” However, nothing could have prepared him for the welcome he would receive. People turned up from neighbouring villages to thank him; a song was written to commemorate the occasion, and celebrations laid on. Best of all, Ryan finally got to meet his pen-friend, Jimmy. Ryan’s well has meant more than just clean water to the villagers. Children, who previously spent two hours retrieving water at lunchtime, now have more time for school. Their concentration has improved and he has inspired them to believe in themselves. As the headmaster of the school explains: “This boy has done a lot of miracles which even the government could not do.”The well has also placed more demand on school resources. Enrolment has nearly doubled and there aren’t enough classrooms for all the new students. Now Ryan is saving to build a new classroom. Children across Canada have been inspired by Ryan’s quest and have started campaigns of their own. “My message is that if we all help really hard and pitch in a bit, we can get clean water for all of Africa.”