Queen Rania joins Mother Day celebrations at Al Hussein Social Foundation for Orphans

AMMAN — HRH Queen Rania on Wednesday visited the Al Hussein Social Foundation for Orphans in Ashrafieh, where she joined orphaned children and their caregivers for a Mother’s Day celebration.

Accompanied by the foundation’s director, Naziha Shatarat, the Queen attended the Mother’s Day festivities with the foundation’s children and caregivers, which included face-painting activities and an exhibition of the children’s artworks. She also toured the facility to greet its staff and thank them for their hard work.

During the visit, Queen Rania also met with a group of widowed and adoptive mothers and their children, each of whom have received educational scholarships from the Al Aman Fund for the Future of Orphans, according to a statement sent by Her Majesty’s office.

Speaking at the meeting, moderated by the fund’s director, Ibrahim Ahmad, Queen Rania noted the importance of standing with all those striving to develop themselves, and providing them with the security they need to do so, confirming His Majesty King Abdullah’s concern for the nation’s orphans and his ongoing support to help them achieve their ambitions.

An initiative of the Queen Rania Foundation for Education and Development, the Al Aman Fund was established in 2003 to provide orphans and children of widowed parents with opportunities to obtain university and higher education degrees, attend community college or receive vocational training.

The fund offers scholarships to boarding orphans who have spent part or all of their childhood living in foster care centres and those living with family members below the poverty line.

Queen Rania heard from a number of the fund’s beneficiaries, who thanked Her Majesty for recognising their mothers on this special day, and for her ongoing solidarity and support. Several said that they would not have been able to continue their education had it not been for the Al Aman Fund, whose scholarships have enabled them to pursue degrees in fields including engineering, medicine and nursing.

Founded in 1953, the Al Hussein Social Foundation for Orphans is one of the largest integrated social welfare institutions in Jordan, with a capacity to house up to 150 orphans. The foundation currently provides accommodation, food and clothing, as well as medical and educational services to approximately 120 children, the statement said.