Two British men have broken the world record for the longest journey in a - a motorised rickshaw - travelling through 37 countries and enduring challenges that included breaking down in northern Peru and having to pull their vehicle 70 kilometres (43 miles). This is not the first time their journey - to raise awareness of the importance of education - has been challenging. They also broke down along a stretch of sand in Sudan and got stuck in mud in Tanzania. Nick Gough, 28, and Rich Sears, 28, both born in Bath, United Kingdom, are childhood friends and as teachers - at the Royal Grammar School in Guildford, Surrey - are passionate about education and its importance for each child and the global community. Racking up an approximate 37,500 kilometres (23,300 miles) so far, the two will become the first people to drive a tuk tuk around the world if they can get their vehicle through northern Chile. Sears explained how he and Gough came up with the idea. "Eight years ago, Nick and I went to Thailand. We met, experienced tuk tuks for the first time and we fell in love straight away. They're such cool little vehicles. They're fun, they're exciting, they weave in and out of traffic and we thought 'wow, it would be great to go on a long journey in one of these vehicles," he told Reuters Television. They started in the UK on August 13, 2012 and have travelled through parts of Europe, Africa, Asia and South America. They thought their trip was over when their vehicle started breaking down. Sears said Peru is the 37th country they have visited. "Peru is our 37th country. We travelled down through Europe, down Africa, across Asia and now we are working our way through South America. Our reception in different countries has been brilliant. Everyone loves the tuk tuk. It's so different. I don't think anyone has seen a couple of foreigners driving through their country in a tuk tuk before so it's very new, it's novel, people are excited and they're really wanting to know what we're doing and why we're doing it which is great for us and we can spread the word about our message," he said. One of the projects they have supported included a surf class for children. "We've seen two projects in Peru. One was in Lobitos which was with this really cool guy called Pepe who is a surf instructor and who promotes values and principles to the local kids in the area through surfing. So they have a little chat before and after, and they have a theme each time they go out. And so it's a good way for younger kids to talk through some of the more difficult issues," Gough said. After pulling their tuk tuk with a harness for three days to the Peruvian city of Chepen, the pair found a mechanic specialising in tuk tuks and they now plan to continue their journey through the Andes. Gough described their hardships in Peru. "I think the worst moment of the trip for us was when we actually thought the trip was over in northern Peru and we'd broken down so many times. It just felt a little bit hollow and even when we pushed it over the world record, we still thought we were going to be shipping it home from Lima, so even though we knew we had passed that mark, that was a real disappointment that that was going to be the end of our journey," he said. Four years of planning and saving enabled them to start their journey, while sponsorships have kept the tuk tuk moving. In 2000, 189 United Nations member states signed up to the UN Millennium Development Goals, which include goals to halve the number of people below the poverty line, stop the spread of HIV/AIDS and achieve universal primary education by 2015. UNESCO data showed there were 57 million children worldwide who are still out of school in 2011, down two million from 2010. Part of their journey included searching out inspiring educational projects through which they can raise funds with their charity, Tuk Tuk Educational Trust. All donations they receive will go straight to the projects - located in Egypt, Kenya, Malawi, Nepal and Sudan - they support. Along with raising awareness for education, they could also break the Guinness World Record for "the longest journey in an auto-rickshaw." Current record holders are Susi Bernsel and Daniel Snaider at 37,410km (23, 245 miles) in 2005.

• published: 28 Nov 2013
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