March 23 2004
Royal encounters for SOS Children's Villages Jordan
23/03/2004 - Queen Rania of Jordan surprised the SOS mothers in Amman with a visit on 21 March. A week earlier, there was a meeting between King Abdullah II and SOS Children's Village President Helmut Kutin.
Queen Rania of Jordan gave a surprise visit to SOS mothers in Amman on national mother's day. The mothers in the SOS Children's Village in the Jordanian capital had gathered for mother's day in Mama Hiyam's family house when Queen Rania appeared as a surprise guest.
In talking to the mothers, Queen Rania heard why the women had decided on this job, how they arrange their everyday working life as SOS mothers, how they bring the children up, what problems they face when bringing the children up, and how living with the children enriches their personal lives.
Queen Rania emphasised how decisive the SOS mothers' commitment and responsibility is in caring for abandoned children and recommended that experience from the work of SOS Children's Villages be integrated into all the care institutions in the country: "What you do here for the children for whom you have taken on real responsibility earns our special high regard. When I see the children's happy faces, I know how much affection you give them."
A week before this royal "flash visit", King Abdullah II of Jordan received SOS Children's Village President Helmut Kutin together with a delegation from SOS Children's Villages. King Abdullah assured SOS Children's Villages Jordan of his full support and expressed his high esteem for the worldwide efforts for abandoned and orphaned children of SOS Children's Villages. President Helmut Kutin informed everyone of the plans for the construction of a fourth SOS Children's Village in Jordan as well as a an SOS Social Centre for family promotion in one of the poorest regions of the country.
With their social engagement, King Abdullah II and his wife Rania stand as part of a long tradition of friendly relations between SOS Children's Villages and the Jordanian royal family. King Hussein and Queen Noor, who has been patroness of SOS Children's Villages Jordan since 1984, were frequent guests to the SOS Children's Villages and emphasised on many opportunities their closeness to the child aid organisation, which runs SOS Children's Villages, kindergartens and youth facilities in Irbid, Amman and Aqaba. Only in December last year, Queen Noor was guest of honour at a diplomatic reception for the benefit of Jordanian SOS Children's Villages.