NASHUA – Through his nonprofit, the Thank You Project, Charles Okorie is able to provide clean drinking water to his native village in Nigeria. His group completed its second well in December.

Now that he is back in the U.S., he wants to move into the second phase of the project’s third well – this time, implementing the first well in his wife’s village.

Currently, Okorie has been able to bring two wells to his home village of Ututu, Nigeria – with this next well slated to be installed in his wife’s village of Achi, Nigeria this year. While in Nigeria on this most recent trip, Okorie commissioned this second well and reviewed this next one for his wife’s village. Okorie said the first phase of this next well has just been completed.

His goal is to have this one done by Easter to commission it as a holiday gift. However, additional funding is needed to move forward with these plans. If all goes well, he hopes to install two wells in his wife’s village in 2020. That would make a total of four since the nonprofit began doing this work. Aside from heading home knowing he is continuing to make a positive impact in the lives of others, Okorie also said this trip was very fulfilling for him because he felt the effects of their lack of water access to water.

“It’s not just humbling to me, but it makes me feel like I’m doing something with my life,” Okorie said. “I’m not just coming to the United States and living the American dream, but at least I am contributing to impacting the lives of other people that don’t have the opportunity to be where I am.”

Ultimately, his plan is to install five wells in both his village and his wife’s village, for a total of ten wells. However, this work is dependent on raising the necessary funds, and the first two already in place cost just shy of $30,000. Right now, $20,000 is needed for this next well in Achi, Nigeria.

Okorie came to the U.S. in 1999 with his wife, Ijeoma, and their daughter. They lived in Maryland for a year before heading north to Nashua. The family has resided in the Gate City since 2000 and have since added two sons and a daughter to their family.

Okorie’s nonprofit does more than provide water, as it also offers scholarships to those who would otherwise be unable to attend college. So far, the nonprofit has been able to fund two scholarships for students studying in Nigeria. The first scholarship was awarded from the U.S. to Obasi Ugochukwu Okeke for mechanical engineering through the Elder Robinson Okore Sunday foundation. The project’s second scholarship is the Dr. Bertram O. Igbogbahaka Memorial Scholarship, which was awarded to Kalu Raphael Oti to study medicine at Abia State University in Uturu, Nigeria.

Later this year, at 9 a.m. May 2, Thank You Project organizers will conduct another Water Walk at Greeley Park to raise funds to continue their efforts to bring clean drinking water to people in need in Nigeria.

Adam Urquhart may be contacted at 594-1206, or at aurquhart@nashuatelegraph.com.

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