In 2022, Ryan Reynolds and Blake Lively donated $500,000 to Water First, a Canadian charity that works with Indigenous communities on water education and training. Four years later, the organisation marked a milestone: eight Indigenous trainees had graduated from a 15-month programme as certified water operators. The graduates completed more than 2,000 hours of hands-on training and passed the exams required for certification, according to Water First. Their achievement points to the long-term purpose of the 2022 gift, which was intended to help more Indigenous young adults train for water-related careers. The donation did not solve Canada’s drinking-water challenges on its own, but it supported a locally focused approach: building skills so communities can strengthen their own capacity to manage water systems.
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