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Secretary of State Awards for Outstanding Volunteerism Abroad (SOSA)

The slideshow shows previous SOSA ceremonies, projects, and awardees.

AAFSW presents annually the Secretary of State Award for Outstanding Volunteerism Abroad (SOSA) to recognize the most exceptional volunteer efforts by Foreign Service employees and family members abroad. The SOSA Awards were created in 1990 with the direct encouragement and support of then-Secretary of State James A. Baker and his wife Susan. AAFSW administers the award through generous contributions from former Secretaries of State as well as the Green Family Foundation and AAFSW members.

Since 1990, the program has honored more than 100 awardees chosen from over 130 diplomatic missions. SOSA awardees demonstrate outstanding creativity and commitment in improving the lives of others at overseas posts, reflecting the highest ideals of diplomacy and humanitarian leadership. Another key factor considered in choosing awardees is sustainability: these are projects that continue over the long term, reaching countless local citizens and helping illustrate to the world who we are as a nation.

The winners of the SOSA Awards are selected by a panel of representatives from AAFSW, GCLO and the Executive Director or representative from each State Department geographic bureau. Full profiles of these volunteers are published annually in AAFSW’s Global Link newsletter and on this website.

For more information about SOSA, email sosa@aafsw.org.

Nominate a Deserving Recipient!

Do you know an exceptional overseas volunteer who has made a positive and lasting impact in their host country, supported morale and well-being within the Embassy or Consulate community, or helped others in an emergency? 

Please consider recognizing their work and inspiring others by submitting a nomination for this prestigious award administered by AAFSW!

Volunteer opportunities are a key to good morale and a sense of purpose at many overseas missions. And volunteers within the U.S. foreign affairs community consistently demonstrate remarkable achievements, even during a few short years at post. 

Examples from past winners include raising tens of thousands of dollars to provide needed supplies to refugees and creating an ongoing “Consular Cup” based on the tournaments in the Harry Potter book series to raise morale in Islamabad.

SOSA nominees can be any USG direct-hire employees under Chief of Mission (COM) authority, their spouses and family members over the age of 18, or their members of household (MOH). The SOSA Award is given for volunteer activities performed abroad while the nominee was posted to a U.S. Mission or safe-havening at post during an unaccompanied tour.

The award honors remarkable service to the mission community, outstanding activities directed towards the host country, or exceptional service in emergency situations. Factors considered in the selection process include: scope and reach of activities, sustainability, ingenuity, and leadership. 

The SOSA Awards are administered by AAFSW, and recipients, if qualified, are chosen from each of the six regional bureaus by a panel of AAFSW, FLO and regional bureau representatives.  Winners receive a cash award of $2500 and a certificate signed by the Secretary of State. Travel to Washington, DC for the November ceremony (if held in person at the State Department) will be paid for by regional bureaus.

How to Submit a Nomination

All members of the Foreign Affairs community are encouraged to present nominations.

Nomination season for the SOSA Awards opens each year in January or February with an ALDAC cable and AAFSW announcements, and nominations are due by April 30.

Nominations for all awards should not exceed three pages double-spaced and must include the following information:  the nominee's name, including middle initial; the relationship to the direct-hire employee or retiree; the nominee's e-mail address; the nominator's name and relationship to the nominee; and a justification for the nomination, including specific actions and qualities that fulfill the award criteria.

You may also contact your CLO or Management Officer for additional information. Please also feel free to contact AAFSW with any questions via sosa@aafsw.org.

Your nominations help recognize the vital importance and value of volunteer work in the foreign affairs community. Furthermore, highlighting these achievements inspires others to pursue projects that create positive change, advance person-to-person diplomacy, and bring more satisfaction and meaning to their time at post. Thank you for supporting these awards!

Moises Mendoza and Jose Dorce, SOSA Chairs 2022-2024

Learn More About Past Awardees

SOSA in the News



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