‘Brutal’ challenge to bring water to a Nepalese village

An Evanton man has undertaken a “brutal” challenge to raise funds to bring fresh water to a village in Nepal.

Ian Bent is walking 56km while carrying 20 litres of water to fundraise for his charity, The Bimiri Foundation (TBF).

The 37-year-old started his challenge in Bimiri on Friday November 19 and so far has travelled 33km.

He is carrying the water in a wicker basket attached to a headband to show what the women and children in the village must endure daily to get fresh water.

“People are saying ‘why are you carrying this water, it’s crazy?’” he said. “I explain I’m carrying it so hopefully by the end my friends won’t have to carry water ever again.”

Bimiri is around 1.5km from the nearest water source. Girls as young as 10 make the journey several times a day, carrying up to 20 litres of water.

He explained: “Running water in your home is one of the most basic commodities you can have.

“We are fortunate enough to be born into a country where hot and cold running water is a standard and we take that for granted.

“The world is a very unfair place if you look at the benefits you have from being born in a certain country or a certain part of a country.

“The idea is to make that change.”

After working in oil and gas in Aberdeen, Ian decided to travel India and Nepal. He ended up making friends with the villagers of Bimiri.

He explained that TBF started as a rant on Facebook after being nominated for the ice-bucket challenge while visiting the village in 2018.

He realised that water in Bimiri was too precious to be wasted and instead

asked his Facebook friends to donate money towards installing a well.

As more donations came in, Ian and his friends from the village decided they could build a pipeline to supply the residents.

They completed that task last October and installed

18 taps, meaning there is now running water flowing into the village.

However, he is now fundraising to build a filtration system so the water can be drunk from the taps, rather than having to be taken home and boiled first.

At the time of writing, he has raised £3,041 on his JustGiving page and has a target of £5,000.

He said: “It’s brutal but rewarding because all day long I’m checking donations and seeing money is coming in, and it speeds me up a bit.

“But physically, this is the worst thing I have ever done.

“I don’t normally challenge myself physically at all, and you’re carrying it on your forehead, it’s not like a heavy backpack – you’ve got all the weight on your head.”

Ian, who works in IT support, described the challenge as “torturous” because it is hot and dusty.

He added: “I’m looking forward to finishing it and never lifting a basket like that again.”

HEAD STRONG: Ian Bent of The Bimiri Foundation carries 20 litres of water in a basket on his back, inset, but the weight is supported via a headband across his forehead.

Locals can now get water from taps in the village.