His Majesty King Abdullah II commended Save the Children on Monday for establishing many innovative programs over the past 20 years that have benefited thousands of female entrepreneurs, youth, and pre-school children in Jordan.



“Save The Children USA has contributed greatly to Jordan's social development, particularly by empowering women and youth,” the King said during a meeting with Save the Children President Dr. Charles MacCormack and Jordan Office Director Dennis Walto.



Save the Children has promoted women's economic participation through projects such as the Bani Hamida Women's Weaving and Jordan River Designs, both a part of Jordan River Foundation. Begun in the 1980's, the two large income generation projects have provided part-time work for women from underprivileged families. Their home furnishings have helped revive Jordanian handicrafts and have become well known abroad. With the MicroFund for Women, SCF introduced the first large-scale micro-credit scheme for Jordanian women, who have received 10,000 loans to start small businesses.



In 1999, the organization established INJAZ, a program targeting youth which mobilizes corporate volunteers to go into schools and teach youth practical skills that will help them succeed in the work place. Today 38,000 Jordanian students are benefiting from the program, and the model has spread to seven Arab countries.



Dr. MacCormack praised His Majesty for supporting social service programs, educational advancement, and economic opportunities for young people. He said Save the Children is committed to continuing its work with the public and private sectors to serve the needs of Jordanians, and to provide Jordan with models that can serve other Arab countries as well. He pledged that Save The Children would continue to work with His Majesty and Her Majesty Queen Rania to build a "Culture of Hope" for young people in Jordan and the Middle East.



On Monday evening, in the presence of Her Majesty Queen Rania, Save The Children introduced two new initiatives: NAJAH for Youth Training and Employment to help place graduates in jobs, and NASEEJ, a Community Youth Development Initiative.



The ceremony was also attended by Barry Gaberman, Senior Vice President of Ford Foundation; the Canadian Ambassador to Jordan, John T. Holmes; and U.S. Ambassador, David Hale.