VIKTORIIA HONCHARENKO · 11.10.2026
A message from the founder
Anniversary message · edited for publication from the founder’s material dated 11 October 2026.
Dear friends of PKP UA and distinguished guests,
My name is Viktoriia Honcharenko. I am the founder and President of PKP UA — Pierwszy Klub Polskiego. In 2011, I initiated free meetings in Kyiv devoted to Polish language, culture and connections between people. For fifteen years, I have developed this initiative alongside our community.
As founder, I shaped the club’s direction by connecting education, culture and community activity. Young people’s active participation mattered to me, as did a space where conversation could lead to new contacts, knowledge and opportunities.
We participated in seven consecutive editions of Narodowe Czytanie. We developed a club library and supported children in a children’s home. Natalia Soroka proposed that initiative; participants contributed their time, ideas and talents.
Participants’ personal stories include learning Polish, Karta Polaka, study, work, teaching and community activity. These are their own paths, in which PKP UA was one place for meeting and exchanging experiences.
Online meetings helped preserve contact through the pandemic, separation and relocations. After Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine began, people in our community supported one another. Today, we live in different cities and countries, but we can still talk together.
Thank you to everyone who sent memories and materials. I also thank the Polish Institute in Kyiv, Consul Paweł Owad and Vice-Consul Anna Babiak-Owad for the anniversary wishes confirmed in their correspondence. Dziennik Kijowski and Polonijna Agencja Informacyjna have published our history.
We are working on the next stage — PKP UA Global, connecting language education, culture and exchange between Poland, Ukraine and the United States. I want to continue developing this community with you.
People and organizations interested in shared initiatives are welcome to contact info.pkpua@gmail.com. Thank you to everyone who has been part of PKP UA. People created this history, and people will carry it forward.