Planet in Focus Film Review: Return to Ryan’s Well

I’m excited to be working with the Planet in Focus 16th Annual Environmental Film Festival. The film festival will take place in Toronto October 21-25, 2015. Over the next couple of weeks I’ll be sharing my reviews for a selection of films that I have been given the opportunity to screen in advance.

First up, Return to Ryan’s Well.

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There was a young Canadian boy who learned about the issues facing countries on the other side of the world and wanted to do something about it. With the support of his parents and teacher, he created an organization to help the issue and help other people. His first action led to support and recognition from influential people around the world including Oprah Winfrey. He had no idea how big of an impact he was going to make.

Sounds like…Craig Kielburger, right? Yes and no. This describes Craig, but it also describes another boy who is VERY similar to him.

This boy’s name is Ryan Hreljac. When he was 6 years old, his teacher was talking to the class about kids in other countries that don’t have things like Nintendo, video games, pizza AND clean water. No clean water? Ryan was confused, stricken and curious to learn more.

“All I had to do was take 10 steps from my classroom to get to the drinking fountain and I had clean water. Before that day in school, I figured everyone lived like me. When I found out this wasn’t the case, I decided I had to do something about it.”

He researched more about the issue of clean water in developing communities and realized that he had to do something. He wanted to help. So at 6 years old, he raised enough money to build a well in Uganda. A few years later he had the opportunity to go with his parents to visit the community where his well was built. He met the people who have been empowered and whose lives were forever changed.

But he didn’t’ stop at one well. Today, Ryan’s Well Foundation has built 878 water projects and 1,120 latrines in 16 countries. Ryan’s efforts have provided clean water to almost 1 million people. In 2014, Ryan visited Uganda again to the same community where his first well was built and that trip is documented in the film Return to Ryan’s Well.

Ryan’s Spark: Clean Water

So why water? Why is having clean water such an important issue in the world? The first Free The Children campaign that I launched was We Create Change for clean water and I have learned a great deal about it over the past few years. In developing communities, the responsibility to provide water falls women and girls. In most cases they have to walk miles and miles (hours and hours) to get water to bring to their family for drinking, cooking and cleaning. This almost always prevents them from going to school on a regular basis. Also important to note is that the only water that they have access to is not clean. In fact, in most cases the water is so dirty that it makes them sick. In the most extreme cases the drinking the water has given people in the community diseases such as Malaria and Tubeculosis. When the children get sick, they cannot go to school. When parents are sick, they can provide for or take care of their children. THIS is the impact of not having clean water. Ryan came to understand that providing clean water is the first step to building healthy, strong and self-sustainable communities where people are healthy and children can go to school. We all know what happens when kids go to school: change. When children go to school, big change happens. Clean water is the first step.

I had the opportunity to preview the documentary and found that the similarities between Ryan and Craig so striking.

1. Ryan and Craig have always believed that one person – one young person – can change the world. Their age was not an obstacle in creating change. In fact, their young age helped to draw attention to their cause and actions.
2. They both learned and researched about their issue. After Craig and Ryan found their spark, (child labour from Craig and clean water for Ryan) they learned everything that they could so that they could build awareness for themselves and for others.
3. They both travelled to the communities where their issue was the most relevant and the need. Seeing the need and impact first-hand was central to the change that they would ultimately make.
4. Both boys had support from their teachers and parents. Craig and Ryan realized that they cannot make a difference alone. A huge part of Craig and Ryan’s journeys was support from their teachers and parents from day one.
5. Both boys started small with one spark and one action and neither one of them could have known how big of an impact their project would have.

In this documentary that runs for just under half an hour, I learned so much about Ryan and what inspired a young boy to create such a huge and lasting impact. I am adding Ryan to my list of role models and people who prove that you are never too young to make a difference.

“The very hardest thing to do is to take that first step.” – Ryan Hreljac

Ryan’s story and this film by Lalita Krishna will inspire you follow your passion and take that first step.