Associates of the American Foreign Service Worldwide

AAFSW Content Manager

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Foreign Affairs Community Survey Report

In May of 2021 the AAFSW Forum Committee sent out a survey to members of the foreign affairs community designed to determine what is important to members of the community we serve. The survey invited all active and retired members of the community plus adult family members and members of household from all agencies including military under Chief of Mission authority to respond.  During the two weeks the survey was active, 402 completed responses were received. Over the summer Lara Center, President of AAFSW and Ann La Porta, Chair of the Forum Committee, read over 100 pages of written comments and distilled them into areas that AAFSW could work on and areas to be discussed with GCLO (formerly FLO) and AFSA (American Foreign Service Association).

Employment remains the largest area of discontent, especially with EFMs (Eligible Family Members).  Responders mentioned the lack of opportunities to telework in particular DETO, which is carrying your State job overseas and working remotely.  Also the bureaucratic hoops one must jump through to be eligible for EPAP and FSFRC, the time it takes to get security clearances and the lack of parity with military EFMs were also mentioned.  Lack of training was a problem as were lack of resources for self- employment and the inability for MOHs to work.  AAFSW has an Employment Committee which is actively engaged with these problems.  They were especially effective during the hiring freeze enacted by Secretary of State Tillerson.

Recently the Office of Overseas Schools (OOS) has evidently changed the regulations to disallow many reimbursements for homeschooling expenses.  This came at an especially difficult time when the pandemic caused many families to homeschool their children.  AAFSW would like someone to volunteer to form a committee to explore this with OOS and to determine what could be done to remediate this.  

People were unhappy that much of their home leave time was devoted to routine medical appointments.  A suggestion was made that at posts without adequate medical facilities there should be an allowance for a yearly visit to medevac locations for routine preventative care.  Another medical problem mentioned was the secrecy about posts affected by the Havana Syndrome.  This made bidding difficult.  AAFSW will follow this up with AFSA and MED but is there a volunteer especially interested in these issues and willing to help?

Even though there have been significant improvements to SNEA (Special Needs Education Allowance) families with children with special needs are burdened by the hoops they have to jump through to find adequate resources, to get reimbursements for these resources and to get appropriate assignments.  AAFSW worked with the FS Families with Disabilities Alliance and other groups such as AFSA and the Foreign Service Youth Foundation to bring about improvements to SNEA which is an ongoing project.

Families left at home during Unaccompanied Tours (UT) felt they were not being adequately supported.  For those families in the DMV area AAFSW could begin once again to start Neighborhood Support Groups.  There is a Facebook group for these families.  Are there any volunteers who would want to explore this?  This would also be helpful for those new to the FS and those returning to the area.

Singles were the most unhappy group of responders with complaints about housing, allowances, leave time and Embassy activities related solely to families.  GCLO recently sent out a Cable advising posts to especially include single employees in activities after work hours, to provide adequate housing and Welcome Kits for them and to ensure that they received time off, especially during the holidays as well as other amenities.  As well as this “Be Nice” cable a new Affinity Group has been formed, “Singles at State”.  AAFSW could liaison with them and also with the Work Life For You organization to explore where we might interact.  Any volunteers?

Bidding and tandem assignments were also frequently mentioned as problems.  AAFSW will discuss this with AFSA.

AAFSW is pleased with the participation and the outcome of its survey.  We feel it will give us a strategic plan to move forward, working as always with GCLO and AFSA and our volunteers.

To volunteer please contact Ann La Porta via our office: office@aafsw.org. 



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More About 2020 CCE-EFM Award Winner Janet Heg

We wanted to hear more from our 2020 award recipients — what contributed to the actions that led them to receive the award, advice for others, and more. Read more about the 2020 CCE-EFM Award winner Janet Heg below.

What inspired you?

I used to be an EFM and it was through EFM employment that I learned about the wide range of opportunities available in the Foreign Service.  Until then I hadn’t realized the potential to work in management or one of the specialist fields.  I really enjoyed the feeling of a shared mission with my spouse; it felt fantastic to get in the car with him in the mornings and drive to the Embassy.  It was like I was truly part of his career.  

 

How did you find the opportunity?

I was assigned to Embassy Djibouti as the Human Resources Officer, and EFM employment was part of my portfolio.  Because of my prior experience I knew how important those jobs were, both to the mission and to the employee and their spouse.  I’d seen at previous posts how EFM employment was not always prioritized by HR and I knew that for me it would be a priority.  

 

What barriers did you overcome?  How?

There is a lot of bureaucracy around EFM hiring.  All the paperwork has to be completed just so, and submitted to Washington at the right time and in the correct order.  We work with the regional bureau and several functional bureaus, and each one has a different process.  I hired an EFM to work in HR and she documented all the different processes and put together a package of sample letters and cables that was really easy to use.  

A common complaint about EFM hiring is the length of time taken to obtain a security clearance, and this is problematic for the mission as well as the employee.  It’s definitely improved over the past few years but it can still take a long time, especially with a foreign born spouse.  As soon as an EFM is offered a position we get started on the security clearance, so that no time is lost.  It still takes them time to track down all their addresses and references, so we give them this information as soon as possible.  

 

Any lessons learned that you can share?

EFMs are one of the mission’s greatest assets and are frequently over-qualified and underpaid.  The EPAP program has been great for offering higher level opportunities to our family members.  EFMs are an important part of our mission.  These are real jobs, not ‘make-work’ for spouses, and frequently require a security clearance.  

 

What would you suggest to other HR officers around the globe to provide more opportunities for EFMs?

They should get to know the current and incoming EFMs and find out what skills and talents exist among family members at post.  And think very broadly about what kind of experience can be used to meet the requirements for a position.  It’s great to communicate with EFMs before they arrive, so they know when positions are advertised and they feel welcomed and valued.  I also encourage my colleagues to review applicants for higher steps, based on previous government service or prior experience in a relevant field.  

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Fun with AAFSW’s Foreign-Born Spouses Group

Despite the current pandemic situation, the Foreign-Born Spouses group continues to be very active and has adapted to new challenges by meeting on Zoom in order to be close to members and future members around the globe.

For example, we were able to celebrate via Zoom Hispanic Heritage month last October, the Lunar New Year, we hosted a Taichi class, presented an EFM employment panel, and more.

Stay tuned for future events!

We are now hosting meet and greet sessions the first week of each month, either a coffee morning or an evening cocktail hour via Zoom.

By meeting using Zoom, we’ve been able to have participants join
us from stateside as well as from overseas.

You’re welcome to join us at any time! Please email fbspouses@aafsw.org or find us on the AAFSW FBS Facebook group.



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Webinar: Mindful Eating, Mindful Living

 An Interactive Webinar on Zoom organized by AAFSW Program Chair Sheila Switzer
Thursday, May 20
9 am to 10:30 Washington DC time

We eat every day. But are we really paying attention? So often, we hurry through meals and snacks without truly savoring them, and perhaps without nourishing our bodies as effectively as we could.

In this interactive webinar on Zoom, we will learn and immediately practice mindful eating techniques that can help us: 

  • Enjoy our food even more
  • Tune in to our body’s hunger and satiety signals
  • Reduce guilt and anxiety around food
  • Nourish our bodies more effectively and
  • Learn to incorporate mindful eating as part of a stress-reducing mindfulness practice.

 

You’ll need small quantities of some simple foods of your choice for our interactive practice, such as fruit — more details when you register!

 

Your presenter is certified health coach and personal trainer Patricia Linderman; find out more about her work at www.fierceafter45.com, or contact her with any questions at patricia@fierceafter45.com. The webinar is free, with an optional donation to the presenter.

 

Please register in advance by emailing office@aafsw.org for the Zoom link.

 

Thank you and hope to see you there!

 

-Sheila Switzer

AAFSW Program Chair

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Martine’s Must-Reads for May 2021

1- Stronger: Courage, Hope, and Humor in My Life with John McCain by Cindy McCain 

Cindy McCain, wife of Senator John McCain opens up about her beloved husband, their thirty-eight-year marriage, and the trials and triumphs of a singular American life. 



2- A Woman of No Importance: The Untold Story of the American Spy Who Helped Win World War II by Sonia Purnel

In 1942, the Gestapo sent out an urgent transmission: “She is the most dangerous of all Allied spies. We must find and destroy her.” 

The target in their sights was Virginia Hall, a Baltimore socialite who talked her way into Special Operations Executive, the spy organization dubbed Winston Churchill’s “Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare.” She became the first Allied woman deployed behind enemy lines and–despite her prosthetic leg–helped to light the flame of the French Resistance, revolutionizing secret warfare as we know it. 

Virginia established vast spy networks throughout France, called weapons and explosives down from the skies, and became a linchpin for the Resistance. Even as her face covered wanted posters and a bounty was placed on her head, Virginia refused order after order to evacuate. She finally escaped through a death-defying hike over the Pyrenees into Spain, her cover blown. But she plunged back in, adamant that she had more lives to save, and led a victorious guerilla campaign, liberating swathes of France from the Nazis after D-Day. 

 

3- Becoming by Michelle Obama

Becoming is the memoir of former First Lady of the United States Michelle Obama, published in 2018. Described by the author as a deeply personal experience, the book talks about her roots and how she found her voice, as well as her time in the White House, her public health campaign, and her role as a mother.

 

4- About My Mother: True Stories of a Horse-Crazy Daughter and Her Baseball-Obsessed Mother: A Memoir By Peggy Rowe

When major league baseball came to town in the early 1950s and turned sophisticated Thelma into a crazed Baltimore Orioles groupie, nobody was more surprised and embarrassed than Peggy. Life became a series of compromises — Thelma tolerating a daughter who pitched manure and galloped the countryside, while Peggy learned to tolerate the whacky Orioles fan who threw her underwear at the television, shouted insults at umpires, and lived by the orange-and-black schedule taped to the refrigerator door.  

Sometimes it takes a little  distance to appreciate the people we love.

5- Finish What You Start:The Art of Following Through, Taking Action, Executing, & Self-Discipline by Peter Hollin 

Practical tactics to grow your willpower, stop procrastination, focus like a laser, and achieve whatever you set your mind to. Following through and finishing what you start are more valuable skills than you realize. They are a combination of traits that enables you to create the life you want — without having to compromise or wait.



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A Talk with Author Gina Wilkinson

Author of “When the Apricots Bloom,” former Diplomatic spouse in Iraq & foreign correspondent

Thursday, June 3 at 6 p.m. Eastern Time

RSVP to the office@aafsw.org for the Zoom Link.

AAFSW cordially invites you to join us for a fascinating talk with Gina Wilkinson via Zoom from Australia about her book entitled “When the Apricots Bloom”. Gina will entertain us with stories of her mesmerizing life in Iraq, on Tuesday, June 3 at 6:00 p.m. Eastern standard Time.

Inspired by her experiences while in Baghdad under Saddam Hussein’s dictatorship, “When the Apricots Bloom” is told through the eyes of three vastly different women in Iraq at the turn of the millennium. A secretary, an artist, and a diplomat’s wife, each must confront the complexities of trust, friendship, and motherhood under a dictator and his ruthless secret police. It is a moving, compelling story, but I also feel it is an important book for people to read at this moment in time. The novel takes readers to a place more relatable and far different from what most Americans have seen on the news. It’s a book with the power – in a world of terrorism, Islamophobia, and hate – to look past stereotypes of Arabs and Muslims, and illustrate how most people, wherever they are, want the same thing. 

We look forward to seeing you.

Sheila Switzer

AAFSW Program Chair

Additional information about the author:

Gina Wilkinson is an award-winning journalist, author, former foreign correspondent, and documentary maker who’s reported from some of the world’s most intriguing and perilous places for the BBC, NPR, APC, and other renowned public broadcasters. Visit her site online: www.GinaWilkinson.net.