Queen Rania Meets with Beneficiaries of Vocational Training Programs Offered by Al Aman Fund

(Office of Her Majesty– Press Department- Amman) Her Majesty Queen Rania Al Abdullah paid a visit today to Al Aman Fund for the Future of Orphans in Amman and met with a number of orphans who benefited from its vocational training schemes.

During the meeting which was attended by private sector partners, Ms. Maha Al Saqqa, Director of Al Aman Fund, talked about their partnerships with some vocational training colleges and institutes as well as companies from the private sector. She elaborated on how this network enabled them to reach, serve, and train more orphans.

Ms. Saqqa also gave a brief about a recently launched campaign in partnership with Al Quds College on the occasion of Arab Orphans Week to encourage orphans to receive vocational training and seek job opportunities in this field.

Queen Rania expressed her pride in such campaigns that graduate young people with skills and talent that meet the demands of an increasingly competitive job market. The Queen also praised the beneficiaries who took it upon themselves to take vocational training despite the prevailing social stigma associated with such professions.

A group of youth who graduated from the fund's vocational training programs shared their experiences and success stories and described how the fund supported them to start their own businesses.

The vocational training schemes aim to raise awareness amongst youth about the importance of professional training and encourages them to enroll in centers that provide such training.

The scheme was suggested as part of Al Aman Fund’s strategy for this year which was discussed with Her Majesty during the Board of Trustees meeting in January, 2013. Its main target is to increase the percentage of enrollment of students in vocational training programs by 20%, aiming to reach at least 200 students.

The total number of orphans who benefited from Al Aman Fund’s education schemes as of March 2013 reached 2,179, of which 521 were from poverty pocket areas and 70% were females and 30% were males. To date, the number of graduates reached 961. Al Aman Fund aims to reach 3,500 beneficiaries by 2015.