The boy and the well

IN THE WEEK when The Messenger of Saint Anthony interviewed 12-year-old Ryan Hreljac, the United Nations announced that it was giving Ryan the 2003 World of Children Founder’s Award, the only international award recognizing children’s advocates. The award comes with a $15,000 US. scholarship.
Ryan’s incredible journey as a fundraiser and as an advocate for children and for clean water started in 1998, when he was six. His grade one teacher told her class about people in Africa who did not have easy access to water and who often got sick and died as a result.
That night Ryan went home and begged his parents to let him do extra chores to earn $75 CAN., enough money to build a well. In fact, that first well ended up costing several thousand dollars, and Ryan has since helped raise over $800,000 Canadian dollars to build wells in Africa.
In doing so, he has travelled the world and raised awareness about everyone’s ability to help out those in need. In 2001, American television talk show host Oprah Winfrey told Ryan: “You are really living proof that one person, and it really doesn’t matter how old you are, can really make a difference.”
The Messenger reached Ryan at his home in North Grenville, just south of Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, where he lives with his parents, Mark and Susan, and his three brothers.

Ryan, let’s begin by talking about your life right now. How did you feel when you heard that you had won this prestigious U.N. award? What will the award money be used for?
Winning this award is great! I am hoping it will let even more people know that they can make a difference. Others might want to help build and pay for new wells. Everything is possible.
The scholarship itself will be very useful in helping me train to become a water engineer. That is what I want to do when I get older; make sure that everyone has access to clean water. I don’t know where I would go to study yet.

This year alone, you have been to Japan, China, Italy, California, New York City and Ohio. How do you combine travel, your fundraising and awareness raising activities and ordinary activities like school and helping out at home?
It’s really not that hard. Half the time, I am travelling or out at schools, meeting groups and doing awareness work. The other half, I am a regular kid. I do my homework, fool around and play sports.
Before a long trip, I go to see my teacher and say, “I’m going to be away for two weeks. What can I do while I am gone?” My teacher then gives me some reading and homework, and I do it on the airplane, during car rides, in hotel rooms and stuff like that.
With sports, it sometimes gets a little complicated, as I am a member of a basketball league and of a hockey league. Basketball is fairly straightforward, but, with hockey, I have to practice once a week and play games on the weekend. I try not to plan other activities when I’m playing hockey. It’s important for me to be there for my team, and I really love hockey.

Has all the attention you have received affected your situation at school? Do the kids there like you more or less because of all the attention you receive?
My teachers have been great, helping me so that I can get away and still keep up with my school work.
My friends at school and I don’t talk about what I do. They have given money and been supportive, but with them, I’m just an ordinary kid. We have fun, we goof around and we laugh. I like to laugh. You have to laugh. Studies show that when you laugh, it’s like exercise. It’s good for you.

You have travelled around the world. You have helped build wells and raise all of this money. What has been the most important thing that has ever happened to you?
That’s easy; meeting Jimmy Akana. After I raised funds to build a well in Uganda, I received a letter from Jimmy and we started being pen-pals. Now we’re brothers, and he is living with us here.
Jimmy’s life was never easy, but after we started writing to each other, it got even harder. He was kidnapped by the Lord’s Resistance Army in Uganda, they wanted him to fight in a war, but he managed to escape and he was able to come to Canada as a refugee in September 2003.
Jimmy is so good at school and talented. All his gifts were going to waste, because he wasn’t being given the opportunity, the way we are here. He is now being given the opportunity.
Jimmy is great to live with. He’s always in a good mood; always happy and smiling. Seeing him smile puts a smile on our face. Jimmy is always happy, he’s always laughing and it just makes you want to laugh too.

In six years you have met a lot of interesting people. You received Communion from the Pope in October 2003. You have met the Prince of Wales, the Prince of Orange and all types of celebrities. Who impressed you most?
Meeting Don Cherry in the airport, the host of CBC television’s Hockey Night in Canada. Something like that doesn’t happen every day. He was really nice. He impressed me. He was exactly as I thought he would be.
It’s been great meeting so many interesting people, and going to places and learning about things first hand.

What effect has all of this had on your family? What’s living at your house like?
It gets pretty hectic around here. There are four of us kids: Jordan, 14, Jimmy, 14, myself and Keegan, 9. We all have after-school activities.
Dad works as a police officer. Mom works as a consultant, but is now on a leave of absence. The Ryan’s Well Foundation takes up a lot of her time.
Right now, our basement is flooded because a pump has broken, so that is keeping us busy this morning.
Oprah Winfrey rebroadcast a report on me this week and there’s a lot of e-mail that has come in about that. I wouldn’t have been able to do what I’ve done without my parents and my brothers. They help a lot.

What is your relationship with God like?
God has given us so much. He’s is our creator and has given us everything, including free will. It is important to worship him.

The Messenger is an international magazine and its readers live in countries all around the world. Is there a special message you would like to convey to our readers?
I would like to tell everyone that you can do anything. If you want to become President, you can become President. It doesn’t matter who you are, if you focus on your dreams and try hard, you can do anything. You can do anything, but only if you try.