Jordan Times
Thursday, June 2, 2005
Queen tours Children's Defence Fund centre
AMMAN (JT) — Her Majesty Queen Rania on Tuesday
visited CentroN?a, a programme of the Children's Defence Fund (CDF) site in
Washington, DC, as part of a several-day trip to the US.
The organisation serves more than 600 low-income multiethnic children, youth and
families residing in Washington, DC. Formerly known as the Calvary Bilingual
Multicultural Learning Centre, the organisation has been a provider of quality
educational and family support services, particularly in the field of bilingual,
multicultural and early childhood education, for the past 18 years, enabling
parents to strengthen and sustain their families.
Given that the organisation has received national recognition as a leader in
early childhood education, the Queen's visit provided the opportunity for Jordan
to capitalise upon international experiences in the field of education.
During her visit, Queen Rania was briefed on the programmes and services offered
at CentroN?a, particularly its four distinct yet interrelated service delivery
areas: The Learning Centre, the Community and Family Development Institute, the
Professional Development Academy (PDA) and the DC Bilingual Public Charter
School.
The Queen was joined by CentroN?a Executive Director Beatriz Otero, who
conducted the site tour, in addition to Children's Defence Fund Founder and CEO
Marian Wright Edelman, Women's Learning Partnership President Mehnaz Afkahmi and
Elizabeth Lule, adviser for Population and Reproductive Health at the World
Bank.
Earlier on Tuesday, Queen Rania delivered a speech at the International Finance
Corporation's Forum of Microfinance in the Middle East, in which she urged the
international community to commit to the challenge of expanding microfinance
services in the Arab world.