At the age of 18, Ryan Hreljac is a compelling voice for those impacted by the global water crisis. He is the founder of the Ryan’s Well Foundation, committed to delivering access to safe water as an essential way to improve the lives of people in the developing world.

In 1998, six-year-old Ryan was shocked to learn that children in Africa had to walk many kilometers every day just to fetch water. He decided he needed to build a well in Africa. By doing household chores and public speaking on clean water issues, his first well was built in 1999 at the Angolo Primary School in northern Uganda. His determination grew from the $70 collected by doing simple household chores to the Foundation that today has contributed to a total of 546 wells in 16 developing countries, bringing clean water services to 663,901 people.

He has received many awards for his work, including the World of Children Founders’ Award, the Order of Ontario, Ontario Medal for Young Volunteers, the Canadian Meritorious Service Medal, ONE X ONE Difference Award, and the Top 20 Under 20 Youth Award from Youth in Motion. Ryan attends university in Halifax, Nova Scotia.