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DE RUEHWR #1225/01 2941252
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P 201252Z OCT 08
FM AMEMBASSY WARSAW
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 7187
INFO RUEHZL/EUROPEAN POLITICAL COLLECTIVE PRIORITY

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 WARSAW 001225 
 
SIPDIS 
 
G/IWI - ANDREA BOTTNER 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: KWMN PREL KPAO PHUM POL
SUBJECT: MISSION POLAND'S NOMINATION FOR SECRETARY'S WOMEN 
OF COURAGE AWARD 
 
REF: STATE 099729 
 
¶1. U.S. Embassy Warsaw nominates Stana Buchowska, the 
Co-Founder and National Coordinator for La Strada Poland 
(Foundation Against Trafficking in Human Beings and Slavery) 
for the 2009 Secretary's Award for International Women of 
Courage.  Stana Buchowska was notified by U.S. Embassy Warsaw 
of her nomination for this award.  U.S. Embassy Warsaw also 
wishes to highlight recently-passed Irena Sendler, the 
rescuer of over 2,500 Jewish children from the Warsaw Ghetto 
as another exemplary Woman of Courage and encourage wider 
recognition of her amazing life. 
 
Information about Nominee 
----------------------------- 
 
¶2. Information requested reftel follows: 
-- Full legal name: Stana Buchowska 
-- Job title/association: National Coordinator of La Strada 
Poland Foundation Against Trafficking in Human Beings and 
Slavery 
-- Date of birth: January 1, 1958 
-- Country of birth: Slovakia 
-- Citizenship: Slovakia 
-- Address: La Strada, P.O. Box 05, 00-956, Warsaw, Poland 
-- Telephone: 48-22-622-1985 
-- E-mail: strada@pol.pl, stanabuchowska@yahoo.com 
-- Passport number: P0308401 
 
Justification 
------------- 
 
¶3. Stana Buchowska is the Co-Founder and National Coordinator 
of La Strada Poland Foundation Against Trafficking in Human 
Beings and Slavery, an NGO which in September 2008 celebrated 
thirteen years of regional leadership and activism in the 
fight against trafficking in persons in Central and Eastern 
Europe.  She is also a member of the Global Alliance Against 
Trafficking in Women.  Ms. Buchowska was one of the first 
persons in Poland to recognize the problem of young women 
trafficked to, from, and through Poland.  She and her staff, 
comprised of a few dedicated full-time employees and many 
volunteers, continue to run the only shelter in Poland 
exclusively for trafficking victims trying to rebuild their 
lives.  La Strada provides trafficking victims, regardless of 
nationality, with psychological counseling, medical 
attention, reemployment training, access to legal 
representation, and countless other services under the 
auspices of their crisis prevention and social rehabilitation 
programs. 
 
¶4. Ms. Buchowska is both a skilled, attentive practitioner 
and an effective lobbyist for her cause.  She works on a 
daily basis with Polish law enforcement officials who 
identify trafficking victims and deliver them to her capably 
equipped staff.  She also sits on the Polish interagency 
Anti-Trafficking working group and pushes her government to 
do even more to help.  La Strada in 2007 trained federal 
judges around Poland on the sensitive and effective handling 
of trafficking cases, and similar training for federal 
prosecutors is under development.  Ms. Buchowska and her 
organization have advocated for creating a solid system of 
assistance and support for trafficking victims for many 
years.  La Strada has developed such a reputation for 
excellence and commitment, that they now receive direct 
funding from the Polish government for victim assistance. 
 
¶5. La Strada has long been considered the primary Polish 
source of information on trends, statistics, and other 
trafficking in persons issues, and is viewed as a model for 
nascent civil societies beginning to involve themselves in 
the fight against trafficking.  Ms. Buchowska travels 
extensively throughout the region to La Strada partner 
organizations, regional conferences, and Poland's neighboring 
countries, sharing her expertise on trafficking in specific 
and the mechanics of NGO fundraising, communication, conflict 
resolution, and negotiation skills in general.  Ms. Buchowska 
is a dynamic, yet humble, anti-trafficking hero, and a true 
international woman of courage. 
 
¶6. Embassy Warsaw also wishes to highlight Irena Sendler as 
another exemplary Woman of Courage.  Irena Sendler (February 
15, 1910- May 12, 2008) was active in the Polish Underground 
and anti-Holocaust resistance, and is credited with saving 
the lives of at least 2,500 Jewish children from the Warsaw 
Ghetto.  Sendler's story only came to light in recent years, 
which makes her situation all the more poignant  Although she 
does not meet the standard nomination criteria, we believe 
that highlighting her amazing life -- perhaps by creating a 
special posthumous award -- would pay handsome dividends in 
 
WARSAW 00001225  002 OF 002 
 
 
Poland, underlining the significance of the contributions 
made by Buchowska and other Polish women. 
ASHE