Queen Rania of Jordan – One of Compassion’s Leading Ladies

Ever wonder why the Queen gets to be such a powerful figure on a chessboard? Why not the King? According to Her Majesty Queen Rania of Jordan, there is nothing in this world that a woman cannot achieve. A mother, a wife, a boss, an advocate, and a humanitarian, Queen Rania is a strong believer of equality, women’s rights and education for the masses. Adding another notch to the belt, she is also one of the philanthropists to have signed the Charter for Compassion.

Queen Rania – photo credits news.ca.msn.com

With sheer determination and an ongoing will to bring about a change, Queen Rania has influenced the mindsets of millions the world over. It seems as if she follows her duties as a humanitarian first and as a Queen second – a quality that brings her ever closer to people. Since her marriage, Queen Rania has used her position to advocate various causes both in Jordan and around the world.

One of her most significant contributions has been in the field of education; where the already legendary Queen must be given credit for launching an annual teachers’ award – the Queen Rania Award for Excellence in Education.  She has also established the Queen Rania Scholarship Programme for higher education by partnering up with several universities from around the world.

In 1995, Queen Rania began her first Compassionate venture by creating the Jordan River Children Programme (JRCP) which later led to the launch or the Jordan River Foundation (JRF), a non-governmental organisation that helps the disadvantaged in Jordan.  Its broad range of initiatives include from rescuing abused children to healing whole families; from assisting women in creating additional sources of income to support their families to empowering them to become decision-makers. Internationally, Her Majesty is the Global Ambassador of Women for Women International.

She also promotes microfinance as a tangible means of providing large numbers of the world’s poorest a real stake in their societies. She serves on the board of the World Economic Forum and on the board of directors of FINCA International.

Due to her great contribution as an altruistic activist for children welfare, the United Nations Children’s Funds (UNICEF) invited Queen Rania in 2000 to join its Global Leadership Initiative. By January 2007 Queen Rania was named UNICEF’s first Eminent Advocate for Children. In 2009 she rightfully became Honorary Global Chair of the United Nations Girls’ Education Initiative (UNGEI).

As an Arab, Muslim woman, Queen Rania has committed herself to promoting peace and reconciling people of different faiths and cultures by encouraging cross-cultural dialogue, particularly amongst young people. She has been particularly vocal regarding the importance of cross-cultural and interfaith dialogue in order to foster greater understanding, tolerance and acceptance across the world. By using her status as a Queen, she has accepted the mission of clearing misconceptions in the West about the Arab world and taken upon herself as a duty to bring about a positive and everlasting change. Her Majesty serves as the Chair of the Royal Commission on Human Rights and as.

Ranked as one of the world’s most powerful women by Forbes in 2011, Queen Rania has not given up her quest in making the world a better and more compassionate place for future generations.

Queen Rania – photo credits: http://www.queenrania.jo/