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On Wednesday, March 30th at a special ceremony, U.S. Ambassador James Warlick presented awards to four Bulgarian women to recognize their achievements in working for a brighter future for all Bulgarians at the American Corner in Sofia. The four women were Aksinia Gencheva, a dedicated proponent and defendant of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT)rights in Bulgaria; Guilten Sabri Mustafa, Librarian at the National Chitalishte Ivan Vazov in the village of Vladimirovtsi; Teodora Krumova, Program Director Center for Interethnic Dialogue and Tolerance “Amalipe” in Veliko Turnovo; and Milena Stoycheva, CEO of Junior Achievement Bulgaria. All four women work in different fields and with different types of people to make a difference in their communities. 

In March 1987 the U.S. Congress declared that the month of March would be used to recognize the achievements of women and called it Women’s History Month. This year in early March the U.S. Embassy in Sofia called for nominations of women who demonstrated leadership in areas such as education, science, human rights, social issues, the arts, and women’s equality and advancement in order to recognize women who are making difference in Bulgaria. After reviewing all nominations, a distinguished group of four women were chosen to receive this recognition.

The justifications for the recognition of the four Bulgaria women follows below.

1. Aksinia Gencheva- The Embassy’s “Woman of Courage” nominee for her work with LGBT issues in Bulgaria - For her dedication to the defense of LGBT rights and for her consistent efforts to build and maintain a broad range of NGOs, activists, donors, institutions and citizens for the social integration of the LGBT community.

2. Guilten Sabri Mustafa- Librarian at the National Chitalishte Ivan Vasov, Village Vladinirovtsi  - For her work with youth, promoting education and inspiring young women to stay in school and move on to higher education. She herself proves that it is never too late for education as she is currently working towards her degree in Library Science. This awards recognizes  her efforts in promoting community participation and her role as a mentor to the young women in the village of Vladimirovtsi through her work as a librarian at the chitalishte and her dedication to continuing education.

3. Teodora Krumova- Program Director of  the NGO Center for Interethnic Dialogue and Tolerance “Amalipe” in Veliko Turnovo  - For her work with Roma integration. She has worked relentlessly to promote the Roma integration process and organizes advocacy work, particularly educational work, for the social inclusion of Roma vulnerable groups. This award recognizes her advocacy work with the AmalipeCenter and her dedication to social inclusion and integration projects for disadvantaged ethnic minorities.

4. Milena Stoycheva, CEO, Junior Achievement Bulgaria - For training and inspiring thousands of young Bulgarians to believe in themselves and their futures as entrepreneurs and business leaders..

Each woman received a plaque acknowledging their achievements from Ambassador Warlick.