The animal protection association ADANA is organizing a trek as an awareness campaign to promote respect for animals and to raise funds for projects already underway and for future actions. The volunteers and dogs taking part in this initiative will cover the 1,200km separating Santiago de Compostela from Estepona on foot.
With the aim of boosting awareness as regards cruelty to animals, promote respect and compassion for them, and raise funds for awareness and educational projects, as well as animal care programmes and the construction of a new shelter, ADANA has organized a 1,200km pilgrimage from Estepona to Santiago de Compostela.
The volunteers and the dogs will start out from Estepona on 15 March 2009 and arrive at Santiago de Compostela on 2 May. Along the way, meetings will be held with other associations, and there will be number of school visits and national and international press conferences, as well as other activities to ensure maximum coverage of the event.
With a maximum of 15 volunteers a week, each accompanied by a dog from ADANA’s shelter, participants are expected to cover an average of 25km a day. The association will handle logistics, such as guides, accommodation (at hotels, boarding houses, camping sites or pilgrims’ shelters), food and water, luggage transport, etc., in exchange for a cash contribution.
Each volunteer will be expected to find a sponsor for one of the dogs, with the aim of helping ADANA raise the necessary funds for building a new shelter and organizing educational projects.
The participants can either complete the whole trek (seven weeks), or cover the weekly stages of their choice. The first leg, from Estepona to Seville, is exceedingly beautiful and varied, crossing mountains and countryside and some of Andalusia’s famous White Villages. At Seville, participants will take the southern route of the St James Way, know as the Silver Way, which is far less busy than the northern route.
Those interested in participating should register online.
