English Original
In 1999, Ryan Hreljac and Jimmy Akana became pen pals. They lived on two continents, thousands of miles apart. Their lives could not have been more different. Ryan lived with his family in Kemptville, Canada, while Jimmy, an orphan, lived in Agweo, Uganda. Jimmy's life was in constant danger because rebel troops would raid his village. Fate, and Ryan's determination to help others, brought the pals together.
When Ryan was six, he learned that millions of people in Africa lacked access to clean water. He decided to change that. To raise money, Ryan did chores for four months, earning $70—not enough for even one well. "I realized I couldn't raise $2,000 by doing chores," he said. "So I started doing public speaking." To date, the Ryan's Well Foundation has built 238 wells in 11 countries. "We've helped almost 400,000 people and raised $1.5 million," Ryan says.
The foundation's first well was built in Agweo, where Jimmy lived. For the first time, Jimmy could get clean drinking water without walking for miles. The boys met in 2000 when Ryan traveled to Uganda. "We had a connection from the beginning," Jimmy said of their meeting.
Four years ago, the Hreljac family adopted Jimmy and brought him to live in their home. Now, Ryan (15) and Jimmy (17) speak to communities and schools worldwide about the importance of clean drinking water. Their story is told in the book Ryan and Jimmy by Herb Shoveller.
中文翻译
1999年，瑞安·赫雷亚克和吉米·阿卡纳成为了笔友。他们生活在相隔数千英里的两个大洲，人生境遇天差地别。瑞安与家人住在加拿大肯普特维尔，而吉米则是一名孤儿，生活在乌干达的阿格维奥。吉米的生命时刻处于危险之中，因为叛军时常袭击他的村庄。命运，以及瑞安帮助他人的决心，将这两位朋友联系在了一起。
瑞安六岁时，得知非洲有数百万人无法获得清洁用水。他决心改变这一状况。为了筹款，瑞安做了四个月的家务，挣了70美元——这甚至不够打一口井。"我意识到靠做家务无法筹集到2000美元，"他说，"所以我开始进行公开演讲。" 迄今为止，瑞安的水井基金会已在11个国家建造了238口水井。瑞安表示："我们已经帮助了近40万人，筹集了150万美元。"
基金会的第一口水井就建在吉米生活的阿格维奥。吉米生平第一次不用走几英里路就能获得干净的饮用水。2000年，瑞安前往乌干达，两人得以相见。谈及那次会面，吉米说："我们从一开始就有一种联系。"
四年前，赫雷亚克一家收养了吉米，带他回家一起生活。如今，15岁的瑞安和17岁的吉米向世界各地的社区和学校宣讲清洁饮用水的重要性。他们的故事被记录在赫布·肖维勒所著的《瑞安和吉米》一书中。