(Office of Her Majesty, Press Department - Amman) From Mafraq to Ma'an and beyond Her Majesty Queen Rania Al Abdullah, who marks her 37th birthday on August 31, continues to support educational initiatives, empowerment projects and increasing cross cultural dialogue.

Throughout the past year, Queen Rania has continued to work towards increasing educational opportunities throughout the Kingdom by supporting projects such as the Teacher's Award, advocating for increased technology in the classrooms, and securing scholarships for Jordanian students and teachers to study at regional and international academic institutions.

In October 2006, the first awards for excellence in education were distributed by Queen Rania at a ceremony honoring Jordan's top teachers. One of the award recipients later hosted Queen Rania when she visited his classroom in Tafileh to see the results the award had on the moral of the community. "It has done so much to encourage healthy competition amongst the teachers," a principal from the area said, "and we all look forward to seeing it grow so that it can encourage more teachers here and across the Kingdom."

In the Dead Sea, the Queen launched the Innovative Teacher's Network (ITN), in December. The network brings together a comprehensive collection of resources created for teachers by the most highly regarded organizations in the field of education. Jordan hosts the second fully Arabized ITN on the web where members are free to express opinions, conduct research, search for key information, access media-rich content, seek accreditation, explore curriculum materials, and personalize their experience.

In April of this year, Her Majesty attended the signing of a memorandum of understanding between her organization, the Jordan River Foundation, and UNESCO in France. The two entities established cooperation to advance early educational practices in the Jordan. As part of the agreement, the parties committed to kick-start an initiative to identify projects in the area of child protection, reinforce teacher training and school management, and enhance curricula in formal and non-formal education. Also during that trip, Queen Rania attended a JRF fundraising dinner for JRF's Safe Schools Project, a national initiative that aims to turn schools into safer environments for learning and education.

Most recently, Queen Rania joined forces with His Royal Highness Prince Talal Ben Abdul Aziz to lay the cornerstone for the Arab Open University's campus in Tabarbour, on the outskirts of Amman.

In addition to the many scholarships secured over the past year, the Aman Fund, which was launched by Queen Rania, has grown to include 44 beneficiaries - up from the 17 orphans who were initially awarded scholarships in 2005. The fund, called "security" in Arabic, helps secure tuition and living expenses for the orphans' higher education.

This year also saw the opening of Jordan's first Children's Museum, which was initiated by Queen Rania. The museum encourages lifelong learning for children and their families.

Her Majesty has also promoted community empowerment strategies, such as microfinance opportunities, by visiting microfinance workshops, supporting the Microfinance Association of Jordan, and launching an international campaign to bring new microfinance opportunities to Jordanians.

In November, Queen Rania joined board members and beneficiaries at the 10 year anniversary banquet of Microfund for Women (MFW), to highlight many of their successful micro-entrepreneurs. She later visited many of their projects in Marka to see the effect of their success on the community and encourage others to take note of the financial and social empowerment that comes with such successful business applications.

In January, the Queen brought together the Microfinance Association of Jordan (MAJ) and the Ministry of Planning and International Cooperation to discuss ways in which to unify their strategy and direction in order to maximize outreach; and, in May, Her Majesty co-chaired the launch of the Village Banking Campaign in New York City, where FINCA International (the Foundation for International Community Assistance), announced it would bring its considerable microfinance expertise and resources to Jordan and the broader Middle East. FINCA is currently working on a business plan, and is set to open for operation in Jordan in the near future.

Throughout the Kingdom, Queen Rania has met with mothers and children, principals and students, to promote other issues of national concern, as well. Queen Rania's activities also encompass issues such as health, youth empowerment, and the environment, among others.

Regionally and internationally, Queen Rania has campaigned for a greater understanding of cultures. Speaking at high profile forums including the Jeddah Economic Forum, the Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University, and the Skoll Foundation in the UK, Queen Rania has continued her call for increased dialogue and multicultural understanding. Her Majesty has also spread this important message in interviews with global media personalities, and through some of the editorials she has authored.

Queen Rania is affiliated with a number of local and international organizations. She is the Founder and Chairperson of the Jordan River Foundation and the National Council for Family Affairs in Jordan; Founder of the Al Aman Fund for the Future of Orphans in Jordan and of the Queen Rania Award for Excellence in Education in Jordan. Her Majesty is a Foundation Board Member of the World Economic Forum and presides on a number of boards including the United Nations Foundation; FINCA; and GAVI (Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunization).

Her Majesty is also the Chairperson of the Young Global Leaders Nomination Committee and of the Regional Executive Committee of the Consultative Group to Assist the Poor (CGAP). She is a member of the UNICEF Global Leadership Initiative for Children and the Regional Ambassador of INJAZ (Junior Achievements World Wide).

Earlier this year, Queen Rania was appointed as UNICEF's first Eminent Advocate for Children. In May, the Queen was named by TIME magazine as one of the year's Power Givers. She was also recognized by Seeds of Peace with the John Wallach Peacemaker Award and received an award from the Fondazione Mediterraneo (Mediterranean Foundation) in Italy for her commitment to the advancement of social causes and sustainable development. In honor of Her Majesty's work in promoting child health, the Children's Hospital at University of Cologne in Germany opened the Queen Rania Rehabilitation Center.