UPDATE: Saturday, Aug. 15 (11:18 a.m.) – Nickelback guitarist Ryan Peake and wife Treana are trying to illustrate the challenges faced daily by the people of Africa’s South Sudan via Treana’s Obakki Foundation, and the couple has just released a new video in which they undertake the foundation’s Basic Needs Challenge.

In the video, Ryan and Treana undertake the first part of the five-day challenge in order to demonstrate that something we take for granted — drinking water — can involve a gruelling physical challenge. To illustrate this, the couple do what most people in the region do every day just to survive: hike 6 km through the jungle while hauling a 40-lb can of water. Watch:

Basic Needs Challenge // Hike For Water from Obakki Foundation on Vimeo.

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UPDATE: Wednesday, August 12 (11:35 am ET) – Nickelback guitarist Ryan Peake and Obakki Foundation founder Treana Peake have begun the South Sudan Basic Needs Challenge.

The pair are participating in this multi-day endeavour to raise awareness of the living conditions in South Sudan and the challenges experienced by those living there. (For additional details on the challenge, just scroll below for a recap.) Treana has written a pair of blog posts sharing her experiences from Day 1 and Day 2. The impact of the challenge (limiting the body to three cups of rice for three days) has already been felt.

“I know this is only a 3-day challenge, and I know my lessons will never even come close to the reality in South Sudan, but already I am grateful,”; she shared. “I am grateful for a fridge full of fruits and vegetables. I am grateful my children go to school and can concentrate on learning because they’ve had a nutritious breakfast. I am grateful I don’t have to watch someone I love die of starvation.”;

You can follow the progress of the Basic Needs Challenge on Twitter via the accounts for the Obakki Foundation and Nickelback. Updates are also provided on the foundation’s website.

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Nickelback guitarist Ryan Peake and Obakki Foundation founder Treana Peake are going to be going outside their comfort zone this August in the name of raising awareness of the challenging living conditions in South Sudan.

The Peakes (yes, they’re a married couple) will be participating in the South Sudan Basic Needs Challenge. Over a five day period beginning on August 10, Ryan and Treana will be undertaking a series of challenges focused on the necessities of food, water and shelter. Their experiences will be shared online via the hashtags #SouthSudan and #ObakkiFoundation.

“Ryan and I are so grateful for the life that we have. Our children don’t go to bed hungry, they don’t have to walk six kilometres a day to get water, and they are safe and warm at night in our home,”; explains Treana in a statement. “Just by spending a few days in the shoes of someone from South Sudan, I believe we can show how difficult it is for the people there. And – as much as I want to show how different their existence is from the one that many of us in first world countries know – I also want people to see that we really are the same. The need in South Sudan for basics like food, water and shelter is so great. I know that through this challenge and with the support of our Obakki Foundation community and Nickelback fans, we can help raise awareness of the urgent need in South Sudan.”;

The Obakki Foundation has been hands-on in South Sudan and have built or rehabilitated 703 water wells in the country.

For more information on the Basic Needs Challenge, check out the video below.

Obakki Foundation and Nickelback: Basic Needs Challenge from Obakki Foundation on Vimeo.