No it's not Britney Spears or Beyonce. I'm talking about people who actually make a difference beyond providing useless entertainment.
I'm talking about her majesty Queen Rania Al Abdullah of Jordan. If asked, she'd probably describe herself as 'a mum and a wife with a really cool day job'. At least that's what her 1-line bio on Twitter says. As a global figure, and considered to be one of the world’s most powerful women, Queen Rania has focused her energy on a variety of causes, notably education. In Jordan, her work focuses on the quality of education for Jordanian children, while abroad she advocates for global education and for world leaders to fulfill their commitments towards the second Millennium Development Goal, universal primary education.
Before she was an advocate and humanitarian, She was Rania Al-Yassin. She was born in Kuwait to Palestinian parents from Tulkarm. Following her elementary and secondary education at the New English School in Kuwait, she earned a degree in Business Administration from the American University in Cairo. Upon her graduation from university, Queen Rania returned to Jordan and pursued a career in banking, working at Citibank, followed by a brief career in the field of Information Technology, at Apple Computer in Amman.
She believes strongly that enhancing education is vital for bridging gaps, giving people hope, improving lives and ensuring stability throughout the world. To this effect, over the past few years, Queen Rania has launched, championed, and given patronage to a number of initiatives in education and learning. She believes firmly that education can save children from poverty, disease, exploitation and "preparing children from the early years for the world in which they will come of age. It means instilling a love for lifelong learning, creativity, self-expression and an appreciation for diversity"
On her website she says “I just wake up and feel like a regular person. At the end of the day you are living your life for the people that you represent. It’s an honour and a privilege to have that chance to make a difference – a qualitative difference in people’s lives – and it’s my responsibility to make the most out of that opportunity.”
Katie Couric recently sat down with her and talked about a wide variety of issues from the misconceptions about Islam to the ups and downs of tweeting. That story (along with other cool stuff) is at the bottom of this post. But the one thing that really touched me was this:
"The more time goes on, the closer I am to the ground. I’ve been exposed to so many issues and people living under different pressures. It’s helped me realize that a lot of glamorous things that people prioritize really don’t matter."
To see a world leader so passionate about what really matters in our world gives me hope. Without education our children are doomed. Without education we kill what they could be. Without education we subject them to exploitation, poverty, disease, and slavery. Without education we are no better than those who kill because of difference of opinion or religion.
I highly suggest you support Her Majesty in her goal to promote education for every child on the planet. They are our future. To deny them of a quality education, you kill our hope for a better world. Support her in the fight. I certainly do.
At least that's how I see it
Queen Rania's official site
Her YouTube Channel
Follow Her on Twitter
1GOAL official Site
Barefoot Foundation
UNICEF
Mercy Corps
Katie Couric's Interview with Queen Rania
No comments:
Post a Comment