Ryan lives in Canada. He was in the first grade when this story starts. He was 6-years-old. One day his teacher told his class a story. The story was about children in Africa. The children had to walk many miles every day to get water and carry it home. Water is very heavy to carry. And the water was dirty . It made people ill, but it was the only water they had.
Ryan's teacher said that for $70 (seventy dollars) a well could be drilled to give people water.
Ryan went home that day and asked his mom and dad for $70. They said, "No". That night, Ryan could not sleep. He was thinking about people without water.
The next night at dinner, Ryan asked his parents for $70 again . They said, "No" again. That night, Ryan could not sleep. He was thinking about the children who can not go to school because they have to get water every day.
The next night Ryan asked his parents for $70 one more time. They said he could work for it. So every day after school, Ryan helped wash dishes, clean the house, or help his dad in the garden. After 4 months, Ryan earned $70. He took the money to an organization who builds wells in Africa. The people at the organization told Ryan that $70 was enough money for the pump, but not the well. The well cost $2000 (two thousand dollars). Ryan's parents thought he would give up, but he didn't.
Ryan
worked even more at home. He helped neighbors. He asked his parents
to help him write a story for the local newspaper to see
if other people would help him. One year later, when Ryan was
7-years-old, he had earned $2000 and his well was
built in an African country called Uganda. People in Ryan's home town
gave him the money so he and his parents could fly to Uganda
and see his well.The people in the village in Uganda welcomed Ryan like a hero. They stood on the streets and clapped. They sang for him. The village made Ryan their son and brother. They told him the whole village was his family.
Now Ryan is 22-years-old. He has his own organization called "Ryan's Well". Ryan's organization has dug
more than 800 wells, built 1,100 latrines and has helped over 750,000
(seven hundred fifty thousand) people in 16 African countries. His dream is that all people in Africa will one day have clean water.
Clean water is needed:
• to be clean and have good health
• is needed to drink
• is needed to cook
• is needed to grow vegetables
• is needed to raise animals
• is needed to wash clothes
• allows children to go to school
Clean water is life.
Ryan says, You are never too young or too old to help our world. YOU can help our world too.
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