Queen marks birthday today

AMMAN — Her Majesty Queen Rania celebrates her birthday today, marking the start of another year in her life-long journey as the partner and companion of His Majesty King Abdullah.

Throughout her public life, Queen Rania has strived to contribute to the achievement of His Majesty’s royal vision for a thriving and prosperous Jordan, channelling her humanitarian spirit and commitment to youth into national efforts to uplift the Jordanian people.

As a princess, Her Majesty established the Jordan River Foundation (JRF) in 1995 with the blessing of His Majesty the late King Hussein. A non-profit working to promote child safety and community empowerment, the JRF provides employment opportunities for local and refugee women, while also focusing on efforts to tackle the issue of child abuse.

Stemming from her firm belief in the transformative power of education, one of her earliest efforts as Queen was the launch of The Children’s Museum – Jordan (CMJ), which aims to instill a lasting love for learning in children. The CMJ’s Mobile Museum has since toured schools across the country as well, providing Jordanian children everywhere with the opportunity to experience the museum’s educational exhibits and to learn through play.

A mother of four, Her Majesty is deeply concerned with the wellbeing and happiness of Jordanian orphans, visiting orphanages regularly and hosting many events in their honour. In 2003, Queen Rania established Al Aman Fund for the Future of Orphans, a non-profit organisation that helps adult orphans after their graduation from public care centres  at the age of 18. Al Aman supports older orphans’ efforts to pursue higher education and vocational training, putting them on the road to self-reliance.

Queen Rania has visited hundreds of schools across the country, speaking to students and teachers in every governorate. Inspired by these conversations and her observations of conditions on the ground, Her Majesty initiated several projects and initiatives to empower students through education.

These initiatives include Madrasati, which has brought together partners from the public, private and civil society sectors to renovate hundreds of underserved schools. She also joined His Majesty King Abdullah in launching her eponymous Excellence in Education award, which recognises the achievements of the country’s most distinguished teachers, principals and counsellors.

The Queen has also worked to establish partnerships with leading international educational institutions in order to bring world-class expertise to the Queen Rania Teacher Academy (QRTA), which, in partnership with the Ministry of Education, aims to equip aspiring educators with the skills they need to help students realise their potential. Initially launched to provide teachers with short and free training courses, the academy launched its leading pre-service training programme in 2016 in line with the recommendations of the National Strategy for Human Resource Development 2016-2025.

On the global level, Her Majesty has been recognised repeatedly for her advocacy and humanitarian work, particularly her efforts to draw attention to the plight of the world’s refugees, improve access to education, and promote acceptance between all cultures. The Queen also serves as a member on the United Nations Foundation and the World Economic Forum’s Board of Directors, and the International Rescue Committee’s Board of Advisers.