Ryan Reynolds and Blake Lively just donated $500,000 to help support Indigenous communities addressing the water crisis in Canada.
Earlier this week, the Canadian actor and wife Blake Lively partnered up with the Canadian organization, Water First Education and Training, by donating half a million dollars to help support young Indigenous adults to become water treatment plant operators and environmental water science technicians.
Since 2009, the organization has helped over 50 Indigenous communities across Canada by giving them the skill and knowledge through education and training on the water crisis in the country.
As stated on their website, “Sustainable access to safe, clean water in Indigenous communities continues to be a pressing issue in Canada.” They continue to say that, “Nobody understands the evolving challenges and needs more than the people who live there. Drinking water challenges are complex: in some communities, local concerns may be around infrastructure, for others, source water contamination.”
Ryan Reynolds first met with the organization’s executive director John Millar back in January, where this relationship truly began. Their contribution will help provide resources for even more young Indigenous adults.
“Access to clean drinking water is a basic human right. Canada is home to over 20% of the planet’s freshwater — an abundance that’s envied around the world. There’s absolutely no reason Indigenous communities should not have access to safe, clean water,” shared Reynolds in a statement.
“These folks are helping to ensure sustainable access to safe, clean water locally, now and for the future. Blake and I are thrilled to support this important work.”
For more information on how you can support Water First Education and Training and learn about all of the work they are doing, we invite you to visit their website here.