 |
| Photo by Amevi Wisdom on Unsplash |
He was only six years old when the first grade teacher spoke of the sad fate of children living in impoverished and disease-ravaged Africa.
Ryan shuddered to learn that hundreds of thousands of African children died each year from drinking contaminated water. His school was raising funds for Africa and he knew that seventy dollars would fund a well.
When he got home, he asked his mother for the money and said why he needed it. The mother suggested that he do extra chores to get the amount.
He took a sheet of paper and drew a diagram containing thirty-five lines. For every two dollars received, Ryan filled a line and kept the money in an empty cookie tin.
He washed windows, collected pine cones that fell in the yard, worked as he could.
One day in April 1998, Ryan handed over his seventy dollars to an international organization. The lady who answered, thanked him and explained that a hand pump cost seventy dollars, but it took almost two thousand dollars to drill a well.
So I'm going to work harder, said the boy. Parents got involved and started a donation campaign. At the age of seven, Ryan had managed to raise a little over seven hundred dollars, and the missing amount was completed by the Canadian International Development Agency.
Ryan and his parents were invited to a meeting with the Ugandan representative at the Canadian Doctors' Association for Aid and Assistance, a group that collected the funds raised and, with the help of the villagers, built and maintained the wells.
Ryan was hugged by representative Shibru, who confirmed to the boy that the well could be located near a school in Angolo, northern Uganda, but he said it took twenty people working ten days to build a well with a manual digger. A small drill cost twenty-five thousand dollars.
Willing to get the money, the boy had his story published in a Canadian newspaper and, in two months, had inspired $ 7,000 in donations.
Already in the second grade, Ryan and his classmates began to correspond with the boys of Angolo. Meanwhile, Ryan would spend hours writing letters asking for money from various organizations. Finally, he got the amount due for the purchase of the equipment.
On July 27, 2000, a truck, carrying Shibru, Ryan and their parents, went down the dirt road near Angolo. About three thousand children were waiting by the side of the road, clapping their hands. The village leaders received Ryan and took him to the well, next to the school's vegetable garden. On the concrete base it was written:
Ryan's well. Built by Ryan Hreljac. For the Angolo elementary school community.
That night, in bed, Ryan said to his mother: I'm very happy. That unforgettable day ended with the prayer he said every night: I wish that everyone in Africa has clean water.
Conclusion
Fraternity knows no boundaries and love knows no limits.
Let us allow the contagion of the good, with this willingness to help, with this feeling of caring for the other, even if we do not know the name. Even if all he needs is a glass of fresh, clean water to keep him alive.
