Jordan Times
Sunday, May 8, 2005
Queen Rania attends Welfare Association annual fundraiser
AMMAN (JT)— Her Majesty Queen Rania acted as
patron at the Welfare Association (WA) annual fundraising event in Amman on
Friday during which the association honoured members of the board of trustees,
recognised sponsors and awarded prizes to institutions which had excelled in
their contributions.
The Welfare Association was established in 1983 by a group of prominent
Palestinian business and intellectual figures seeking to respond to the human
resource development needs of Palestinian society, with special emphasis on IT
training for youth.
As the largest source of private funds directed towards Palestinian development,
the private, nonprofit, self-sustaining organisation has, to date, contributed
more than $150 million in support of more than 500 NGOs and community
organisations, with 2,000 projects implemented in Palestine and Lebanon.
Seeking to preserve Palestinian history in the region, the foundation has also
established several unique programmes such as the Revitalisation of the Old City
of Jerusalem.
Abdul Muhsen Qattan, acting chairman of WA's board of trustees thanked Queen
Rania for supporting the association.
During his opening remarks, Qattan lauded the efforts of Abdul Majid Shoman,
founder and former board chairman, who recently stepped aside and was named
honorary president for life.
Accepting an award on behalf of Shoman, Munib Masri, vice chairman of the WA
board, said the association's approach to sustainable development and
humanitarian assistance, its members' commitment, its international
affiliations, and transparency had all contributed to its worldwide credibility.
Veteran Syrian actor Dureid Lahham expressed his gratitude and honour at being
named goodwill ambassador for the WA, which has been working on improving the
quality of life in the Palestinian territories throughout its 22-year history.
The association was recently named the recipient of the Aga Khan Prize for
projects to revitalise the Old City of Jerusalem and the 2004 Dubai
International Award for Best Practices to Improve the Living Environment.
In addition to utilising its own resources and managing its own programmes, WA
serves as a local implementing agency for regional and international
organisations and governments to manage external development assistance.
International partners include the World Bank, the European Union, the Islamic
Development Bank, the Arab Fund for Economic and Social Development, AGFUND, the
OPEC Fund and UN agencies, as well as several international nongovernmental
organisations such as the Norwegian People's Aid.
The 100-member WA general assembly comprises prominent Arab and Palestinian
individuals and associates, which meet annually to review work progress and
approve audited financial statements and strategic issues.
The 40-member board of trustees is elected by the general assembly every three
years, to formulate policies and strategies and review the foundation's
performance.
Operating through four branches — Jerusalem, London, Geneva and Amman —the WA's
areas of work and projects include Early Childhood Education via encouraging
curricula development, the use of model facilities and progressive teacher
training techniques, as well as equipping community centres and schools with
computers, networks, the Internet and other facilities.
The foundation is also committed to improving and expanding educational,
cultural, and social activities for Palestinian youth, including those with
special needs, through the establishment of facilities, training and support
enrichment programmes. These include Futurekids (training children and youth in
the use of different computer applications) as well information technology for
youth, initiated in April 2001, with the International Youth Foundation. The
project is a three-year community service programme to provide youth in rural
areas in the West Bank with access to and training on computers and the Internet
in schools and non-formal settings.
In addition to establishing the IT Centre of Excellence in Palestine, WA also
assists the Palestinian refugee community, performing vital interventions for
the community in the areas of healthcare, rehabilitation, ECE, and vocational
and higher education.
In the area of preserving culture and identity, WA works on the revitalisation
of the Old City of Jerusalem: Established in 1995, the project seeks to restore
and rehabilitate culturally and historically important sites in the Old City for
contemporary use.