AAFSW — Associates of the American Foreign Service Worldwide
Promotes Environmental Responsibility
Robert & Kimberly Gudenkauf — SOSA awardee portrait

2023 SOSA Awardee

Robert & Kimberly Gudenkauf

$40,000 raised. 80 volunteers. Mongolia's first push for animal rights.

Mongolia · Bureau of East Asian and Pacific Affairs

EAP

Ulaanbaatar is the coldest capital city on earth, and for the animals in its shelters, winter without adequate infrastructure means death. Kimberly and Robert Gudenkauf decided that was not acceptable. They sold merchandise, launched a GoFundMe, secured grants, and ultimately raised more than $40,000 to rebuild what those shelters needed to function: a water well and pump, fencing, a caretaker's residence, two trailers, and 50 insulated dog houses built specifically to withstand Ulaanbaatar's extreme cold. They built a volunteer network of more than 80 people and partnered with international organizations to find permanent homes in the United States and Canada for abandoned dogs. Then they took their work into the public arena — appearing on Mongolian television and in print media, meeting with senior government officials, and advocating for legislation that would give Mongolia its first formal animal rights law. What started with two people who couldn't look away grew into a national conversation.

Voices from the Field

“Watching refugee children enjoy their childhood again... after a few visits, children are dancing, creating beautiful art, making friends. Ukrainian mothers thank us every day.”
Meredith WiedemerMoldova
“It allows me to transcend languages and cultures and feel unified.”
Debra StockQatar
“It is communicating with the language of love. They have shown me that the impossible is possible.”
Debra StockQatar
“By volunteering, we exemplify the best of the American tradition of helping and raising our communities — whether in small town USA or at some distant outpost abroad.”
Denis RajicShanghai, China
“Serving as a volunteer is a means of giving back to a community that takes care of you.”
Vicki DanielShanghai, China
“Witnessing the project grow beyond my initial idea into something that the people of Madagascar have embraced is a priceless gift.”
Justin WimpeyMadagascar
2025 SOSA Winner
“Even small acts of service can create lasting ripples of hope, belonging, and connection.”
Jennifer SturgeonNetherlands
“Every year, I'm blown away by what people are doing overseas.”
James A. Baker IIISOSA Co-Founder
“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 BakerSOSA Co-Founder
“Watching refugee children enjoy their childhood again... after a few visits, children are dancing, creating beautiful art, making friends. Ukrainian mothers thank us every day.”
Meredith WiedemerMoldova
“It allows me to transcend languages and cultures and feel unified.”
Debra StockQatar
“It is communicating with the language of love. They have shown me that the impossible is possible.”
Debra StockQatar
“By volunteering, we exemplify the best of the American tradition of helping and raising our communities — whether in small town USA or at some distant outpost abroad.”
Denis RajicShanghai, China
“Serving as a volunteer is a means of giving back to a community that takes care of you.”
Vicki DanielShanghai, China
“Witnessing the project grow beyond my initial idea into something that the people of Madagascar have embraced is a priceless gift.”
Justin WimpeyMadagascar
2025 SOSA Winner
“Even small acts of service can create lasting ripples of hope, belonging, and connection.”
Jennifer SturgeonNetherlands
“Every year, I'm blown away by what people are doing overseas.”
James A. Baker IIISOSA Co-Founder
“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 BakerSOSA Co-Founder