Winners and Honorable Mentions Chosen for the 2021 Secretary of State Award for Outstanding Volunteerism Abroad (SOSA)

The SOSA awards, administered by AAFSW, were established in 1990 with the direct encouragement and support of then-Secretary James A. Baker and his wife Susan.  While on official travel, Mrs. Baker was so impressed by the extraordinary volunteer work performed by the Foreign Service community overseas that she advocated for an award to recognize these…

2019 SOSA, Tragen, CCE-EFM and Dorman Award Winners To Be Honored at November 20 Ceremony

AAFSW is pleased to announce the 2019 winners of the Secretary of State Award for Outstanding Volunteerism Abroad: From the AF Bureau:  Marcus Lamb, Dar Es Salaam, Tanzania From the EAP Bureau: Jennifer Yan, Phnom Penh, Cambodia From the EUR Bureau: Carlos Perez, Frankfurt, Germany From the NEA Bureau: Zhou “Cecilia” Zhuang-Haas, Rabat, Morocco From…

2018 AAFSW Awards Ceremony   ” order_by=”sortorder” order_direction=”ASC” returns=”included” maximum_entity_count=”500″] On Thursday, November 15, 2018, AAFSW held its 28th annual AAFSW awards program, which was presided over by AAFSW President, Dr. Joanna Athanasopoulos Owen, at the Benjamin Franklin Reception Room in the Department of State. The ceremony highlighted the exceptional volunteer work of seven remarkable…

Meet the 2018 AAFSW SOSA Winners! 2018 SOSA Winners, Photo Courtesy of AAFSW President, Dr. Joanna Athanasopoulos Owen.     Dr. Abigail Hankin-Wei training the first class of Emergency Medicine Specialized Physicians in Mozambique. 2018 SOSA Winner for Bureau of African Affairs, Dr. Abigail Hankin-Wei: Dr. Abigail Hankin-Wei s a Foreign Service spouse and an…

2016 SOSA Awardees to Be Honored on November 10

This year we received nineteen SOSA nominations from posts in all of the six geographic regions. AAFSW thanks those posts and individuals who took the time to nominate these volunteers. All the nominees’ remarkable activities have had a profound impact on Mission and host-country communities overseas. AAFSW is pleased to announce the 2016 winners of…

Another Successful AAFSW Awards Ceremony

AAFSW annual awards ceremony celebrated SOSA, Tragen, CCE-EFM, and Dorman winners. (Photo courtesy of Mark Stewart, DOS Photographer.) The annual AAFSW volunteer awards program took place Tuesday, November, 10, 2015 in the Benjamin Franklin Room at the State Department. The ceremony was a success highlighting the volunteer work of nine outstanding individuals. It recognized winners…