About SOSA
The Secretary of State Awards for Outstanding Volunteerism Abroad
Honoring Foreign Service volunteers whose work creates lasting impact worldwide.
The Secretary of State Awards for Outstanding Volunteerism Abroad honors Foreign Service employees and family members whose volunteer work at U.S. diplomatic missions has created lasting, community-centered impact far beyond their official roles. Established in 1990 with the direct encouragement of then-Secretary of State James A. Baker and his wife Susan, and administered by AAFSW, the program has honored more than 100 awardees drawn from over 130 diplomatic missions worldwide, made possible through the generous support of former Secretaries of State, the Green Family Foundation, and AAFSW members.
Each year, diplomatic missions across all six Regional Bureaus submit nominations recognizing exceptional volunteers in their communities. A selection panel of representatives from AAFSW, the Global Community Liaison Office (GCLO), and each regional bureau evaluates nominees against criteria including scope and reach, sustainability, ingenuity, and leadership. Winners receive a certificate signed by the Secretary of State and a cash awards, and are honored at an annual ceremony in Washington, D.C.
The awards recognize three Areas of Service: outstanding contributions to the host country community, exceptional support to the mission community, and remarkable service during emergency situations. Above all, SOSA honors work that endures — initiatives that take root, continue beyond a single tour, and reflect the highest ideals of diplomacy and humanitarian leadership.
The Annual Ceremony
Recognition at the Department of State
Each year, awardees and their families gather in the Benjamin Franklin Diplomatic Reception Rooms in Washington, D.C. to be honored for extraordinary service to their host communities and missions abroad.
Image Credit: U.S. Department of State, 2024 Awards for Outstanding Volunteerism, Secretary of State Awards for Outstanding Volunteerism Abroad (SOSA), 2024. View source
[These awardees'] efforts better the lives of their neighbors and strengthen the ties that bind our people. They show fundamentally American values: respect for other cultures, a belief that everyone deserves to live with dignity, the spirit of service to the people of our nation and the world.
25th Anniversary Celebration
Volunteerism by members of our Foreign Service community is not just a kindness. It is an essential and underappreciated dimension of American foreign policy.
Susan Baker · SOSA Co-FounderPast Awards Ceremony Highlights
2022 SOSA Awards Highlights
2023 SOSA Awards Highlights
2024 SOSA Awards Highlights
2025 SOSA Awards Highlights
To view the full awards ceremonies, visit the AAFSW YouTube Channel →
Our Legacy
Nearly Four Decades of Recognizing the Service of the Foreign Service Community
Across thirty-five years, the SOSA program has gathered the quiet extraordinary acts of Foreign Service families and made them visible. The stories in this volume — bicycles for refugees, classrooms for the deaf, recycling cooperatives, animal-welfare clinics — remind us that diplomacy is not only made at the negotiating table, but also at the kitchen table, in the schoolyard, and on the road between posts. We are grateful to every awardee, every honorable mention, and every family who has chosen to serve beyond what was asked of them.
- ●
1990
SOSA established
- ●
2012
Earliest available records referenced
- ●
2022–2025
Legacy Report period
- ●
2026
SOSA: A Living Tradition published by AAFSW
The Hon. James Baker (former Secretary of State) and his wife, Susan Baker, founders of the Secretary of State Awards (SOSA).
Founding Vision
They Saw What Others Overlooked
When Secretary of State James Baker and his wife Susan traveled the world during his years of service, they witnessed something extraordinary — diplomats and their families quietly transforming communities, one volunteer project at a time. Remarkable work that went almost entirely unrecognized.
That observation became a conviction, and that conviction became SOSA.
About AAFSW
The Associates of the American Foreign Service Worldwide (AAFSW) is an accredited 501(c)(3) nonprofit association supporting U.S. Foreign Affairs employees and their families. AAFSW administers the SOSA program and provides advocacy, scholarships, community programs, and global support networks for the Foreign Service community. AAFSW administers the Secretary of State Awards for Outstanding Volunteerism Abroad in partnership with organizations that share its commitment to recognizing service, strengthening community, and celebrating the global impact of Foreign Service volunteers.
Our Partners
The SOSA Legacy Report: A Living Tradition was made possible through the generosity and collaboration of organizations that share AAFSW's commitment to recognizing the extraordinary contributions of the Foreign Service community. These partners have helped sustain and elevate the SOSA program across four years of remarkable service.
GCLO (Global Community Liaison Office) — for its continuing support throughout the SOSA process, and for its broader work advocating for the entire Foreign Service community through direct services, the worldwide Community Liaison Office program, and quality-of-life resources for employees and families. state.gov/global-community-liaison-office
Una Chapman Cox Foundation — for its continuing support of AAFSW and the SOSA Legacy Report, and its broader work strengthening the effectiveness and professionalism of the U.S. Foreign Service through fellowships and professional development. uccoxfoundation.org
ADST (Association for Diplomatic Studies and Training) — for its work documenting SOSA awardees and the oral histories of spouses and partners, as part of the world's largest collection of U.S. diplomatic oral histories. adst.org
SOSA in the News