AN entrepreneur from Scotland on a mission to rebuild earthquake-destroyed homes in Nepal, has told how witch doctors apparently cured one of his aides of a serious infection.

Derek Cowan, from Kirkcaldy, Fife, arrived in Nepal in November with the aim of working for 50 charities in 50 countries.

He is in the village of Thangpalkot in Nepal’s Sindhupalchok region, where he wants to rebuild 86 homes, financed through regular auctions broadcast on Periscope, a live streaming app.

So far, he has been near the epicentre of a 5.7-magnitude earthquake, but earlier this week he managed to pick up a bacterial infection.

He told The National: “I know it was a bacterial infection after visiting the hospital. I almost missed the auction because of it.

“A young man called Hrinzen who is acting as a translator, had same problem as me and was laid out in the tent all day suffering. As the day went on Hrinzen got worse, and told me the last time he felt like this he had typhoid.”

Hrinzen’s condition worsened and he started making moaning noises. “I asked him to tell me what they normally did in situations like this, or who they called, but all he could do was moan. The only other person I knew who could probably help was a teacher at the school and Om, Hrinzen’s uncle, but I couldn’t find them.

“I then found a group of men who understand me, so I told them Hrinzen needed a doctor. They followed me to the tent.”

Then, said Cowan, things became somewhat surreal.

“One of the men started what can only be described as an exorcism. He literally sucked the demons out of Hrinzen, while chanting and throwing rice and other spices, and put stuff in his mouth.

“This ancient ritual is to expel the bad demons from the body. Another man came five minutes later and did something similar.”

Two hours later, the translator was on the mend, and able to describe what had happened.

“He said the witch doctors thought he was dying so they needed to carry out the ritual. They think the reason we both took ill was because we had slept where people died in the earthquake, and the spirits were not happy with us.”

Two homes have already been built in the village and Cowan has been hosting regular auctions to fund the others.

He said: “Each home costs about £1,200 and anyone donating that amount will get a plate with their name, along with a photo with family. If businesses want to contribute they can use Help the Journey logo in any publications.

“Support has increased with a man who owns an estate agency from England doing fundraising and guaranteeing £1,500 for the cause. He will arrive for Christmas. A South African living in England will also travel to volunteer and help rebuild and educate the locals.”

Cowan has also attracted support from the US: “Lou Monopole from Texas has promised $2,000 to build one home. He set the challenge that he would match a dollar for each dollar raised up to $2,000.

“I raised $2,100 at a Nepal-themed auction last weekend and he matched it, which was enough to build another home. Among the items we auctioned were cashmere scarves, singing bowls, prayer beads, bracelets, and soap.”

So far Cowan has raised £5,000, with another £3,000 guaranteed in just three weeks.

“What is also great is they want to put Scotland flags on all the new homes alongside the Nepal flag. It makes me proud to be Scottish.”

Find out how to help at https://www.gofundme.com/rebuild86homes