Queen meets with women activists during visit to Maan

AMMAN — Her Majesty Queen Rania on Thursday visited the governorate of Maan and met with a group of female activists and community leaders, who have made invaluable contributions to their communities in a wide variety of fields, a statement from Her Majesty’s Office said.

Queen Rania met with the local women active in the fields of education, art, medicine and social development at the Prince Hussein Bin Abdullah II Cultural Centre, where she was received by Maan Governor Ahmad Omoush and the centre’s director, Yousef Shammari. 

During the meeting, the Queen noted that Jordanian women are making significant advances in many fields and securing leadership positions in all industries, commending the women of Maan for overcoming obstacles through their unwavering determination.

“This is what His Majesty means when he says the Jordanian woman is the pillar of our society; without her contributions, our Jordanian family cannot grow and prosper,” Her Majesty explained.

Queen Rania also stated that despite Jordanian women’s progress, their status has still not evolved to reflect the magnitude of their ambitions and potential, or the ambitions His Majesty King Abdullah has for them in building and advancing the country.

She added that every positive example of female role models spreads much-needed hope, particularly to our nation’s youth.

“An ambitious, educated, capable woman can be a game changer. And that is what I see in all of you,” Her Majesty concluded.

During the meeting, the Queen heard from President of the Maan Women’s Union Adla Tweisi, who thanked Her Majesty for her efforts to empower women in Maan and across Jordan, and President of Anwar Charity Association for Women Lana Krishan, who expressed her appreciation for the Queen’s work advancing education. 

Social activist, Maha Odat, also thanked the Queen for understanding women’s concerns and challenges, describing Her Majesty as “a role model for Jordanian women from all walks of life”.

During her visit, Queen Rania also stopped by the Maan Zaha Cultural Centre, which was established inside the Prince Hussein Bin Abdullah II Cultural Centre in 2015 as part of a Royal Initiative. The centre’s coordinator, Ziad Shammari, briefed Her Majesty on the centre’s various programmes and activities during a tour of the centre’s children’s hall, training room, pottery-making room and computer lab.

The Queen was introduced to the centre’s young robotics team, who shared the story of their success in an international robotics competition in the United Kingdom last year. 

The Zaha Maan Robotics team was awarded “Best Team” and “Best Instructor” at the First Lego League International Championship in Bath in 2017, coming in first from among 93 teams from 40 countries. 

Her Majesty also met several children at the centre who have benefited from its training programmes, learning to develop gaming applications and create ceramics.