My name is Mateusz Marek, I’m 20 years old and on 1st of September 2017 I set off from my home town Zakrzów (near Cracow, Poland) to Santiago De Compostela (Spain). My aim is to walk this distance (about 3600km) which will take me about 3 months. During my journey I’d like to help Julia Kołodziej and other members of Fundacja Bariera charity, located in my home town in Poland.

Julia is my neighbour and she was 10 when she found out she suffered from Rasmussen’s encephalitis - a very rare form of brain malfunction. She survived thanks to a very costly surgery, during which a left part of her brain had been removed. Today Julia is 12 and still needs financial support to continue her very expensive rehabilitation, needed to help her learn the basic behaviours again such as the correct way of walking, writing or reading.

Julia is one of the Fundacja Bariera members, but not the only one who needs support. Fundacja Bariera charity, counting 105 members, focuses on supporting lives of disabled people. The charity aims to enable its members to remain positive and happy despite their disabilities, e.g. through helping them find work and organising various social activities.

I invite you to observe my journey on Facebook - where I am sharing my experiences from the journey, talk about challenges, people I meet on the way and give advice on how to pack all you need for a 3 month journey in a few kilos backpack (if you were ever crazy enough to follow in my footsteps).

Thank you so much for all your support!