A GRANDFATHER has returned from Africa after sinking a well in an impoverished village in memory of his wife.

Jim O’Connor, who has tranformed the lives of thousands of people with the creation of Dorothy’s Well in Tanzania, plans to return to sink more in the country.

He has been overwhelmed with a large cash gift from two anonymous businessmen who learned about his good work on a local television news programme.

Mr O’Connor, of Esh Village, County Durham, last night described the humbling experience of being able to change the lives of people in Macheme, Tanzania.

The well was named after his wife, Dorothy, who died more than three years ago after a long battle with breast cancer. She had worked as a nurse in Durham and Derwentside for 36 years.

Mr O’Connor was inspired into action after visiting the country last year.

He said: “It had a profound effect on me, and I was greatly affected by the plight of the people.

“They had no clean drinking water, and women and children would walk for three hours each day to collect dirty water, you wouldn’t even wash your car with.”

He aimed to raise £18,000 to cover the cost of a well and latrine.

But with the help of the community and committee of the Dorothy Well Project Tanzania – now a registered charity – in fact, raised £40,000.

Mr O’Connor returned to Tanzania last month to create the first well, where a drill hit water at 15metres.

He said: “At 100metres the water came gushing out – fresh clean water for 3,500 people and 350 schoolchildren.”

At the opening ceremony, attended by a government education commissioner, Mr O’Connor was offered citizenship of the country, and a plot of land to build a house on.

While in the country, a survey found water for a futher two schools and Mr O’Connor plans to return next year to sink them.

As an added bonus, two businessmen contacted him and said they wanted to donate £60,000 toward yet more wells. They asked that one of the wells be named after their father, who died of cancer.

For more information about the charity, go to dorothyswell projecttanzania.blogspot.com