„Start where you are,
Use what you have,
Do what you can”
(Arthur Ashe)
It all started with books, love of reading and the desire to help those who do not have an
easy access to Polish literature.
Why Kazakhstan? The life of Poles living in Kazakhstan has always been close to me and often
talked about in my family home. In 2010 I put my signature on the repatriation bill, but it was not
enough. Our compatriots in Kazakhstan want to learn their mother tongue very much, and the need
is even greater because the Polish language is almost foreign to them. Hence the idea to meet this
need, by organizing a charity collection of Polish books.
More soon followed. Poles' response exceeded all expectations. We have managed to collect
huge amounts of books and literature in Polish, in a wide variety of themes, styles and genres. This
allowed for a widening of the original scope of the “Support a Compatriot” intitiative.
In 2017, as a follow-up, the “Foundation for the Compatriot” was established. The original
collection of books was intended to be a response to the needs of Poles living in Kazakhstan. Thanks
to its success, the scope of the Foundation activities has gained much wider reach. The offer of
spreading literature in the mother tongue is addressed to Poles living both in Kazakhstan and in the
Kresy (Eastern Borderlands) as well as in Poland itself. Wherever the need arises, the Foundation
offers help and support.
The main goal of the Foundation is to organize support and prepare the conditions for the
return of Poles from Kazakhstan to their homeland. The means to this goal is spreading knowledge
of the Polish language, popularization of the native literature and the work of Poles to help
compatriots living outside the country.
I would like to invite private individuals as well as institutions interested in the fate of Poles
to cooperate with us. I encourage you to actively participate in our campaigns. We are open to new
initiatives, ideas, and any help you would like to provide.
Joanna Wilk-Yaridiz
(Founder of the “Foundation for the Compatriot”)