Rania Al Abdullah was born Rania Al-Yassin on 31 August 1970 in Kuwait, to Palestinian parents. Her father, Faisal Al-Yassin was from Tulkarem in the West Bank. She also has Turkish roots on her maternal grandfather’s side. Rania attended the New English School, Kuwait and subsequently received a degree in business administration from the American University in Cairo. Upon her graduation, she worked briefly in marketing for Citibank, followed by a job with Apple in Amman, Jordan.
Marriage to Abdullah II of Jordan
Rania met Jordanian Prince Abdullah bin Al-Hussein at a dinner party in January 1993. On 10 June 1993, they were married at Zahran Palace. Their wedding ceremony was considered a national holiday. The couple have four children: Crown Prince Hussein, Princess Iman, Princess Salma,
Prince Hashem.
Abdullah ascended the throne on 7 February 1999, and proclaimed Rania queen on 22 March 1999.
Since her marriage, Queen Rania has used her position to advocate for various sectors of society in Jordan and beyond.
Queen Rania has launched and championed several initiatives in education and learning. Queen Rania has stated that an essential aspect of education is to equip young people with the necessary skills to perform well in the workplace.
In July 2005, in partnership with the Ministry of Education, the King and Queen launched an annual teachers’ award, the Queen Rania Award for Excellence in Education.
The Queen is Chairperson of Jordan’s first interactive children’s museum, which opened in May 2007. In April 2008, the Queen launched “Madrasati” (“My School”), a public-private initiative aimed at refurbishing 500 of Jordan’s public schools over a five-year period. Queen Rania also established The Queen Rania Al Abdullah Center for Educational Technology on 6 June 2001, aiming to use modern technology to serve and develop education in Jordan.
The Queen Rania Teacher Academy, which was launched in June 2009, provides professional development programs for current and new teachers in partnership with the Ministry of Education. The Queen Rania Scholarship Program partners with several universities from around the world to support scholarships and training for Jordanian students and workers in management, marketing, design, business administration, psychology, engineering, law, and other fields.
Community and youth empowerment
Queen Rania’s first venture was the establishment of the Jordan River Foundation (JRF) in 1995.
The Jordan River Children Program (JRCP) was developed by Queen Rania to place children’s welfare above political agendas and cultural taboos. This led to the launch, in 1998, of JRF’s Child Safety Program, which addresses the immediate needs of children at risk from abuse and initiated a long-term campaign to increase public awareness about violence against children. The deaths of two children in Amman as a result of child abuse in early 2009 led Queen Rania to call for an emergency meeting of government and non-government (including JRF) stakeholders to discuss where the system was failing.
In 2009, to celebrate the 10th anniversary of her husband’s accession to the throne, Queen Rania launched a community champion award to highlight the accomplishments of groups and individuals who have helped their local communities. Queen Rania initiated the Al-Aman Fund for the Future of Orphans in 2003.
In her capacity as Regional Ambassador of INJAZ Al-Arab, Queen Rania has taught classes and engaged in dialogue with young people in other countries; she also launched INJAZ Al-Arab’s presence elsewhere in the Arab world. She chaired a discussion with entrepreneurs in celebration of INJAZ Al-Arab’s 10th anniversary, showcasing alumni’s success stories. At the 2008 World Economic Forum in Davos, she launched the “Empowering One Million Arab Youth by 2018” campaign, which was conceived by INJAZ Arabia.
In 2005, Queen Rania established the Royal Health Awareness Society to educate parents and children about the basics of nutrition and hygiene, the benefits of exercise, the harms of smoking, and other areas related to health.
In 2011, the first specialized medical building for children was built in Jordan, Queen Rania Children’s Hospital, established to improve the medical service for Jordanian children. The hospital provides for the care of children, especially complex medical cases including organ transplants and endoscopic operations.
In November 2000, in recognition of her commitment to the cause of children and youth, the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) invited Queen Rania to join its Global Leadership Initiative. In early 2002 Queen Rania joined the Board of Directors of the International Youth Foundation, based in Baltimore, Maryland, in the United States. In January 2007, Queen Rania was named UNICEF’s first Eminent Advocate for Children. In August 2009, Queen Rania became Honorary Global Chair of the United Nations Girls’ Education Initiative.
As a longtime supporter of the Global Campaign for Education, Queen Rania met with children and inspirational women in South Africa, both in the cities of Johannesburg and Soweto, in March 2009. One of the stories in the book, “Maha of the Mountains”, was contributed by Queen Rania.
On 20 August 2009, Queen Rania co-founded and led the launch of the “1GOAL: Education for All” campaign alongside Gary Lineker, and with the help of top international footballers at Wembley Stadium, London. On 6 October 2009, Queen Rania was joined by Prime Minister Gordon Brown of the UK, the president of FIFA, Sepp Blatter, President Jacob Zuma of South Africa, and other heads of state, for the Global Launch of 1GOAL, which took place across six locations worldwide.