Queen visits children at Dar Al Aman on Mother’s Day

AMMAN — On the occasion of Mother’s Day on Monday, Her Majesty Queen Rania visited children currently residing at Dar Al Aman, the Jordan River Foundation’s (JRF) child safety centre.

The centre was established in 2000 to temporarily provide protection for child victims of abuse. 

The Queen met with a number of the centre’s caregivers and in-house teachers, accompanied by JRF Director Enaam Al Barrishi, and Child Safety Programme Manager at the Queen Rania Family and Child Centre Muntaha Harasis, according to a statement from Her Majesty's office.

The centre’s staff updated Queen Rania on how it gets the children up to speed with their education, especially if their difficult circumstances have forced them to skip school. 

Depending on each child’s evaluation, the centre assesses whether a child can be placed in a public school, or be schooled at the centre. 

School-aged children are usually enrolled in public schools near the centre, and those under the age of six benefit from specialised early childhood development programmes at the centre. 

The Queen thanked the teachers and caregivers for their dedication to helping vulnerable children and easing their suffering.

She also met with two girls at the centre who have both excelled in school, despite their abusive backgrounds that have forced them to seek protection at Dar Al Aman. 

One of their teachers said the girls’ progress is testimony to the success of the centre’s educational and psychosocial support programmes, according to the statement. 

Queen Rania also visited the centre’s residence units, where each caregiver looks after up to eight children in one unit. 

Her Majesty also spent time with children while they were making Mother’s Day gifts, including paintings, beaded accessories, crafts and greeting cards. 

The children gifted Her Majesty a hand-made beaded necklace, as well as Mother’s Day greeting cards from each child.

Dar Al Aman’s other services include medical and psychological care, as well as reintegrating beneficiaries back into their homes, or finding them safe permanent placements elsewhere. 

The centre accommodates up to 40 child victims of violence of all ages.