Community empowerment

Somebody once said that “To lose a child is to lose a piece of yourself.”

Last weekend, road accidents in Jordan claimed the lives of nine children, and twelve others.

Fifteen families shattered, so many, too many, precious pieces lost.

In the UK, the median age is roughly 40 years old. In the US, it is 35. In Jordan, it is 23.5. With almost 40 per cent of Jordan’s population under the age of 15, creating employment and entrepreneurial opportunities for its youth is an urgent, constant challenge.

One innovative organisation, Injaz, is meeting this challenge head on. Injaz, which means “achievement” in Arabic, aims to inspire and prepare Jordanian youth to compete in the global economy.

Thank you, Marian, for your warm words, … for your wise words… and for your inspiring words to us all just now. 

When I opened this conference, I spoke about the challenge ahead of us – one that we must all jointly embrace – to set in motion a "reverse domino effect" where every woman lifts another up and passes the gift of strength on. 

This morning, though you may not know it, I think you all look taller and stronger than when we started…

One woman who is looking particularly tall and strong is Maha.

"Thank you Minister Genscher for your kind words. I will do my best to live up to the noble spirit of this award.
 
And let me pay tribute for your years of public service. Germany has long been respected for her philanthropy and global citizenry...helping those whose lives have been blighted by natural and manmade disaster... time and time again.
 
And thank you, Dr. Burda, for your inspiring example of humanitarian leadership, and for all you do to build bridges of care and compassion around the world.
 

(Office of Her Majesty, Press Department - Beirut) Her Majesty Queen Rania Al-Abdullah, President of the second Arab Women’s Summit (2002 –2004) chaired the first meeting of the Arab Women’s Organization’s Higher Council with the participation of Arab First Ladies of countries that ratified the establishment of the AWO.

(Office of Her Majesty, Press Department - Amman) Underlining the need to bolster women’s participation in public life, and in an effort to enhance inter-Arab efforts in that regard, Her Majesty Queen Rania Al-Abdullah attended the opening of the workshop “Women and the Law — A regional Dialogue...Supporting Voices of Change.”

(Office of Her Majesty, Press Department - Dubai) Her Majesty Queen Rania Al-Abdullah, on Sunday, called for a new perception of, and an action-driven approach to, youth as a fourth and leading sector in the Arab world, highlighting the urgency of reaching out to, unifying and empowering, them and, in that spirit, witnessed the signing of a partnership between the Young Arab Leaders and INJAZ program.

Her Majesty's comments came during a two-day working visit to Dubai, where she participated in the Annual Meeting of the Forum of Young Arab Leaders (YAL).

(Office of Her Majesty, Press Department - Amman) Her Majesty Queen Rania Al-Abdullah inaugurated the country’s first Intel Computer Clubhouse - an after-school program set up to provide community-based technology-learning programs, enabling youth in underserved areas to acquire the tools necessary for personal and professional success.

(The Jordan Times, By Rana Husseini - Amman) Monday, November 4, 2002 Queen calls for strengthening union of Arab women Summit seen as 'the new-Jordan way of doing things'.

Her Majesty Queen Rania officially inaugurated the 2nd Arab Women's Summit with a call for Arab women to build bridges of understanding and trust between themselves and their respective countries to strengthen the union of Arab women.

(Office of Her Majesty, Press Department - Kuwait) In 1999, the Injaz program was launched in Jordan with the goal of enhancing youth knowledge. The program's success has taken it throughout the region, and Thursday evening, Her Majesty Queen Rania Al-Abdullah joined members of the Kuwaiti royal family, government representatives and leading executives in lauding the successful expansion as Injaz was launched in Kuwait.