El Camino de Santiago for Palestine

hai all,

thank you for being here.

my name is Zeina, i’ve just turned 35 and i am from Montreal, Canada. i am writing this from the halfway mark of the camino francés - which i began in Saint-Jean-de-Pied-de-Port and plan on finishing past Santiago, in Finisterre.

i thought of turning this camino into a fundraiser before spontaneously leaving on this journey , but got in my own way, not realizing how it could even be relevant to the cause. that is l, until yesterday whilst it hit me as i walked. and as i carried a watermelon in my backpack (ironically).

i began to complain to myself about the weight of my bag - because of said watermelon - until i remembered :

all of us on the camino choose to be here. to walk between 800-900km, traveling on foot with bags weighing between 8-16kgs on average, through muscle pain, sore legs, backs and feet and losing count of blisters. displaced peoples however do not. they carry the weight of their bags and bodies, memories and sorrows, all the grief attached to forcefully leaving behind the places, peoples and materials that have made their lives.

and they don’t get to eat and drink when they need like we do. to tend to their pains and blisters with appropriate tools…

same goes for people of Gaza.

and as Jewish young woman told me

on this camino: “the resilience of Palestinians, it is an unbreakable population.”

so as myself am living an incredible journey, i decided to, first, refuse to complain, and pick up the idea i left at the starting line and support their resilience in any small way i can.

physically, emotionally and spiritually,

this camino has been all encompassing.

i’ve walked 30-60km days through a week of heat wave, am so lucky to only count three blisters so far…

my trip is entirely self-funded. all donations will go to charity directly.

any donation is greatly appreciated, no matter how big or small.

thank you!

Zeina

Want to join me in making a difference? I'm raising money to benefit THE CANADIAN PALESTINIAN FOUNDATION / LA FONDATION CANADO-PALESTINIENNE, and any donation will help make an impact. Thanks in advance for your contribution to this cause that means so much to me.