Queen Rania visits community empowerment centre, meets with local entrepreneurs in Aqaba

AMMAN — Her Majesty Queen Rania visited the Jordan River Foundation’s Queen Rania AlAbdullah Community Empowerment Centre (QRCEC)in Aqaba on Tuesday, and met with a number of the center’s beneficiaries as well as other members of the local community. 

During the visit, QRCEC Director Ahmad Ghneimat briefed Her Majesty on the center's child safety and community empowerment activities, as well as the various services it offers to Aqaba’s local community. Established in 2011, QRCEC offers programmes focused on child protection, essential life skills, entrepreneurship, and positive parenting practices, according to a statement from Office of Her Majesty. 

In a tour of the center, Her Majesty stopped by ‘Beit Sgheer,’ an interactive project aimed at raising awareness of core concepts to protect children against all forms of abuse, and an expressive art therapy session organized for women. She also viewed an exhibition of 10 entrepreneurial projects established by the center’s beneficiaries, who spoke to the Queen about their products, the jobs they have created, and their experiences with QRCEC’s job placement and networking services, the statement said. 

Afterward, Her Majesty toured the ‘Technology Room,’ which was designed to engage children and youth in social activities, promote their self-empowerment, and help them develop a variety of life skills. 

The Queen also met with local community representatives, including leaders of community-based organizations and project owners from the governorate and its surrounding villages. The beneficiaries’ community initiatives and projects were supported by QRCEC through financial grants and training workshops in entrepreneurship, workforce readiness, project management, and financial literacy, as well as prevention and protection programs aimed at their children and families. 

Her Majesty then visited Jo Bags, a packaging solutions business owned and operated by local youth Suhaib Al Ammouri. A specialist in the production of paper bags, Ammouri began his project at home using simple equipment and locally sourced raw materials, the statement said. 

After receiving support from Her Majesty, Ammouri was able to expand his operations and acquire modern industrial equipment. His business currently has nine employees and is considered a main supplier of packaging materials for most hotels, restaurants, and high-quality retail stores in Aqaba.