Queen visits Caritas Jordan projects in Ramadan

AMMAN — Her Majesty Queen Rania on Tuesday visited programmes run by Caritas Jordan in Jabal Luweibdeh, including its community centre and the Restaurant of Mercy, which provides free iftar meals to people in need.

Caritas is an international organisation affiliated with the Catholic Church, tasked with handling its social and humanitarian work.

On her first stop at the Caritas Community Centre, Queen Rania toured the facility and met staff and beneficiaries from Jordan, Syria, and Iraq, according to a statement from Her Majesty's office.

During the meeting, Caritas Jordan Director General Wael Suleiman briefed the Queen on the organisation’s work in the country, which includes running 10 primary healthcare and six dental clinics in Amman, Zarqa, Karak, Madaba, Balqa, Irbid and Mafraq.

Caritas Jordan also provides assistance and services to refugees from Iraq and Syria. Last year, the organisation delivered $15 million emergency funded projects, assisting Syrian and Iraqi refugees and vulnerable Jordanians.

Representatives from the medical, educational, and humanitarian sectors that collaborate with Caritas on its various projects also attended the meeting.

After visiting the community centre, the Queen made her way to the Catholic Church of Our Lady of Annunciation, where she met with Catholic Bishop of Jordan Maroun Laham, Father Boutros Hijazeen, and Father Rifat Bader, as well as members of the Caritas Jordan management team.

While at the church, Her Majesty met with a group of 50 Caritas volunteers, who were preparing food packages for distribution to underprivileged families, as part of the Caritas Ramadan campaign, the statement said. 

Caritas Programme Manager Omar Abawi and Volunteer Coordinator Carol Sakis briefed Queen Rania on the campaign and the organisation’s range of volunteer activities.

Her Majesty’s last stop was the Restaurant of Mercy, where she met with staff and volunteers who were preparing meals for iftar, the meal to break the daylong fast.

Launched in December 2015, the restaurant is the latest initiative by Caritas Jordan and the Latin Archdiocese, providing up to 500 free lunch meals to underprivileged people regardless of their ethnic and religious affiliations. 

In Ramadan, the restaurant serves iftar meals instead of lunch. While meals are available to be served at the restaurant, deliveries are also organised by volunteers to poor families, who cannot afford transportation to the restaurant, according to the statement.

Caritas Jordan was established in 1967 as a non-governmental charity organisation in response to the humanitarian needs that emerged as a result of the displacement of Palestinians.

Headquartered in Amman, it is a member of the International Caritas Confederation and has 16 affiliated centres across the Kingdom, the statement said.