Jordan Times
Wednesday, March 5, 2008
Queen promotes JRF as
foundation of opportunity
AMMAN (JT) - Her Majesty Queen Rania, founder and chairperson of the Jordan
River Foundation (JRF), on Monday highlighted the foundation’s achievements at a
gathering of influential women in Washington, DC.
At a luncheon hosted by JRF USA board members Beth Dozoretz and Pat Mitchell,
Queen Rania discussed many of the foundation’s specific initiatives and
encouraged their involvement.
She also spoke about her personal investments in the foundation.
“I launched and have supported JRF for over 13 years now… because it’s all about
giving a helping hand to the ordinary people of Jordan who want to work and
provide for their families, who want to contribute to the development of their
communities, and who want a chance to prove and improve themselves,” she said.
JRF Director Valentina Qussisiya campaigned for the foundation’s newly launched
Sponsor a Child initiative that seeks to mobilise donors and philanthropists to
sponsor the rehabilitation costs of severely abused children at Dar Al Aman
(House of Safety).
The first shelter for abused children in the region, Dar Al Aman is the only
therapeutic centre for child victims of abuse and mistreatment in Jordan.
The children at Dar Al Aman range from infancy to early adolescence.
To date, the foundation has reached almost 20,000 individuals through its
rehabilitation and prevention activities.
“[This is] a rewarding figure for sure, but our greatest reward is the sigh of
relief and the sweet, unguarded smile of a child whose right to childhood has
been restored at last. Making a difference in a child’s life is what makes it
all worthwhile,” said the Queen.
JRF has recently established several new online communication mediums to spread
their mandate to a wide virtual audience and garner financial support.
By setting up an interactive YouTube page (www.youtube.com/jrfamman), JRF hopes
to reach out to a wide constituency.
The foundation has also set up several online financial and marketing tools,
including Network for Good (http://www.networkforgood.org/) and Six Degrees (www.sixdegrees.org),
where JRF is registered as a tax deductible 501 charity organisation.
JRF is a nonprofit Jordanian NGO established in 1995. Its mission is to promote
the development of a dynamic Jordanian society by initiating and supporting
sustainable social, economic and cultural programmes that empower communities
and individuals based on their needs and priorities.