Crown Prince, Prince William visit Jerash, Rapid Response battalion

AMMAN — HRH Crown Prince Hussein and the Duke of Cambridge Prince William on Monday visited the ancient city of Jerash 48km north of Amman, A statement from the Royal Court said.

During the visit, the two princes toured the city, which is considered to be the largest complete Roman city outside Italy, according to the statement, including the Temple of Artemis, the colonnaded road, the Southern and the Northern Theatres. 

At the Southern Theatre, Crown Prince Hussein and Prince William watched a number of performances including poetry and folkloric shows presented by children from Jerash and children of Syrian refugees, who are beneficiaries of UNICEF's programme to support children “Makani". 

They were briefed on the programme, which aims to provide a safe environment for children through extracurricular activities, life skills and psychological support. Prince William chatted with a number of Syrian refugee families.

Also on Monday, Prince Hussein and Prince William visited the Rapid Response battalion in the Northern Military Zone, according to Petra.

Prince Hussein, who is the Regent, viewed a rapid response unit with its enhancements and its complete equipment that included weapons that have recently been acquired by the Jordan Armed Forces-Arab Army.

Lt. Col. Khladoun Kaabneh, the battalion commander, briefed the two princes on the battalion's new location and its geographical features that are suitable for effective training. 

Earlier in the day, Prince William visited the Princess Taghrid Institute for Development and Training (PTI) in Ajloun's Kufranjeh, where he had a firsthand look at the Dar Nimeh Project.

PTI Director General Aghadir Jweihan presented a briefing on the Dar Nimeh Project, which is considered an important social development scheme that helps empower women in governorates and encourage them to be productive, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported. 

Jweihan, in the presence of PTI Deputy Chairperson Zain Majali, added that the project also aims at encouraging women to increase their families' incomes through marketing and delivering their products to consumers, after acquiring necessary skills to develop the quality of their products.

The project includes a distillation laboratory for roses and aromatic plants, which was established from support from the UNDP and the Finnish embassy, where women extract plant oils, water and rosewater, she added.

The director also spoke about the importance of the post-care programmes for orphans after the age of 18, which offer a comprehensive psychological, social and vocational programme in cooperation with the Social Development Ministry.

She noted that His Majesty King Abdullah, under a Royal initiative, provided the programme with a building for young girls between the ages of 18 and 24 to offer them social and vocational empowerment during the transitional phase.

Prince William also paid a visit to Luminus Technical University College, a subsidiary of Luminus Group, to check on the college's efforts in supporting vulnerable youth in Jordan through its programmes based on education for employment, according to Petra.

Prince William, who concluded his two-day visit to the Kingdom later in the day, inaugurated the hotel and tourism department at the college, which was established to simulate a five-star hotel, in a way that offers students an opportunity to train and learn in a real-life environment. 

Ibrahim Safadi, CEO of Luminus, welcomed the prince's visit to the Kingdom and the college, expressing his appreciation for Prince William's inauguration of the new department, which is envisioned to provide new jobs for the Jordanian youth.

Ayman Magableh, college dean, said that the college always conducts research to know market requirements and constantly contacts employers to identify the lacked skills and address such obstacles.