About us

The Foundation for Central Anatolian Kurds (CAN) was officially formed on March 24, 2002 by some 30 Kurds with roots in central Anatolia.

The foundation is registered with the County Administrative Board in Stockholm.

Overall goals

The purpose of the Foundation For Central Anatolian Kurds (CAN)  is to promote the development of the culture, the language of the central Anatolian Kurds and to strengthen their identity. The foundation shall work for integration.

Target group

The foundation’s target group is primarily Kurds in Sweden. However, Kurdish children and women are a priority target group. Children under the age of 18 and Kurdish women born outside Sweden are our main target group.

Purpose

The Foundation CAN takes up the work to promote the rights of the Swedish Kurds and clarifies their obligations in Swedish society. The Foundation CAN, with its democratic values, drives advocacy work for the Kurds and partners to work for a more equal Sweden. The Foundation CAN will be involved in the integration and create better conditions for the individual about a better future in Sweden with employment or studies.

Goal

National priority areas for development

The Foundation CAN works in four areas of activity, integration and asylum issues, employment and education, creation & entrepreneurship and diversity, culture & tradition.

Integration & asylum issues

There are an estimated 100,000 Swedish Kurds in Sweden, where the majority of the Kurds have immigrated between 1960–2016. There are discussions today about integration in the Swedish debate climate. It is usually based on the fact that immigrants from the Middle East’s cultural background differ from the Swedish. The Foundation CAN streamlines the integration model that will make Swedish Kurds not only integrate better but also give other Swedish citizens increased knowledge of the Kurds’ cultural background and history. In addition to the integration issue, the Foundation CAN also works to follow various events in Kurdistan that can lead to people fleeing and refugee flows occurring. During the financial year, the Foundation CAN broaden the integration platform.

Integration platform

The Foundation CAN wants to provide clear and correct information to new arrivals the first time in Sweden, which has a great positive impact on what the adaptation to rules and way of life looks like. As a newcomer to Sweden, information is required not only about their rights, but also about their obligations. The Foundation CAN works to create a “we-feeling” where all Swedish citizens pull in the same direction. For us to succeed with this, adapted and targeted information to new arrivals is required.

Employment & education for women

Women among Anatolian Kurds in Sweden have low figures regarding the employment rate in the Swedish labor market. The underlying factor is either low level of education or lack of education. The Foundation CAN believes that this is a dangerous combination that must be counteracted and preventive measures extended. The Foundation CAN works within the parent network and the youth network to provide better conditions for individuals to talk about and discuss the best approach to looking for work or studying effectively. The Foundation CAN works preventively and at the same time long-term with the Kurdish general level of education

Parent network

The parent network is a platform for new arrivals and will help to give parents a good start in Sweden. With seminars and information meetings, parents discuss child rearing, discrimination, religion, education and work. Also study visits to important social institutions that are in demand within the parent groups around the country.

Youth network

The youth network will inspire and connect young people to well-integrated Swedish Kurds and multigenerational Swedish young people to get a good start. Motivation-raising seminars with different themes from Swedish university students. Different cultural activities within the municipality to create a platform where young people with different ethnic groups meet and create community.

Creative & entrepreneurship

Historically, the Kurdish population is a creative people. With the starting point of creating its own livelihood, the Swedish-Kurdish group has in recent years developed its own companies within the Swedish welfare system such as restaurants, care, nursing and education. It has long been known that the Swedish Kurds, especially from central Anatolia, have run companies in restaurants, retail, various service companies, taxis. The Foundation CAN wants to develop a model that further motivates more people to create their own livelihood by starting up and running various company forms. The Foundation CAN wants to develop corporate networks in order to motivate more entrepreneurs within the group in Sweden.

Diversity, culture & tradition

The culture and traditions of the central Anatolian Kurds are a relatively new culture in Sweden. The Kurdish culture has two starting points, one from “Zoroastrianism/Yezidis” and the other from Islam. The Islamic-influenced aspect of Kurdish culture is dominant and well-established in the everyday life of the Anatolian Kurdish population.