Youth and Children
Throughout her working years Her Royal Highness has played a significant role in supporting and guiding efforts that have served to benefit young people, education and the well-being of children. She has consistently called on the younger generation to take the lead in overcoming the obstacles they face while seeking to realise their goals and ambitions.
A growing need to place young people in Jordan at the heart of national development processes spurred the establishment of the Princess Basma Youth Resource Centre (PBYRC) in 2002. JOHUD’s Youth Committees bring together thousands of young people across the country, and PBYRC works to provide training, awareness raising and employment opportunities for these volunteers and many others.
Young students from the SHE’s GREAT project
.jpg)
Visiting the Princess Basma Youth Resource Centre, (2017)
Inspired by Princess Basma’s belief in the rights of all children, in 1977 Al Rajaa School for Deaf Students was established under the JOHUD umbrella. This pioneering educational model provides specialised learning opportunities from pre-school to the graduating secondary level (Tawjihi), enabling deaf and hearing-impaired students to obtain the life-skills and education they require.
Visit to Al-Raja'a school for Deaf Students, (2016)
Al Rajaa’ school students presenting at the ceremony to honour the partners and supporters of the Queen Alia Competition for Social Responsibility (2022)
JOHUD’s Social Support Centre in Marka, North-East Amman, works with a range of vulnerable children, including victims of child-labour, home-confined girls, refugees and young offenders. The centre has helped thousands of working children and at-risk youth since its inception in 2008, and we continue to serve over 1,400 children every year.
Other youth and children-oriented initiatives lead by Her Royal Highness Princess Basma include: Save the Children-Jordan, the Mabarrat Um Al-Hussein and the Girl Guides and Boy Scouts movement.
Students of the Social Support Centre in Marka learning to refurbish computers, (2017)
Other youth and children-oriented initiatives led by Her Royal Highness Princess Basma include:
Save the Children – Jordan (SCJ) was established in 1974 under the patronage of Princess Basma, to provide essential services for children and women. Since its establishment SC Jordan has been providing development and humanitarian programming and assistance to ensure that children attain their rights to survival, protection, development, and participation.
Impacting the lives of over half a million children and families each year, SC Jordan delivers high-quality and innovative child rights programmes in education, child protection, livelihoods and health for vulnerable communities in Jordan, regardless of their nationality. SC Jordan’s programming reaches several governorates in both the host communities and refugee camp settings, and includes the provision of inclusive early childhood education, teacher professional development and wellbeing, community health, economic empowerment of women and youth, as well as, responding to child protection concerns such as violence, child labour, and child marriage. It also advocates for the wellbeing of Jordan’s most vulnerable children and champions their voices with duty bearers.
SC Jordan is the only Arab member of the 29 Save the Children organisation members operating in 117 countries worldwide. In January 2017, SC Jordan successfully merged with Save the Children International’s country office, to form a stronger unified presence as SC Jordan.
.jpg)
Visit to the Save the Children programme in Zaatari Refugee Camp, (2017)
In 1994 Princess Basma became Patron of Mabarrat Um Al Hussein, a home for orphaned or vulnerable boys. Established in 1958 by Her Majesty Queen Zein Al Sharaf, the Mabarrat provides care and education, as well as skills development, vocational training and sports for at-risk children and youth. Over the years, the Mabarrat has offered opportunities to large numbers of boys, many of whom have grown into successful professionals with children of their own.
Increasingly, the Mabarrat's outreach programme seeks to further integrate the Mabarrat within the wider community, involving families, the private sector and young women and girls into the programmes offered, so that the Mabarrat can also play a more dynamic role in East Amman’s development.
With Mabarrat Um Al Hussein boys, (2023)
Joining the boys for lunch at the Mabrrat,(2016)
Joining the boys for lunch at the Mabarrat, 2016, With Mabarrat Um Al Hussein boys, 2023,A visit to an activity at Mabarrat Um Al Hussein, 2023
Princess Basma is patron of the Annual International Diplomatic Bazaar, which has been held for over 50 years, and whose proceeds support Mabarrat Um Al Hussein. The much anticipated event brings the local and international communities of Amman together, to celebrate the culture, cuisine, products and crafts of the numerous participating diplomatic missions.
Visiting the stalls of the Annual Diplomatic Bazaar, (2022) and (2023)
Visiting the stalls of the Annual Diplomatic Bazaar, (2022) and (2023)
Visiting the stalls of the Annual Diplomatic Bazaar, (2022) and (2023)
Visiting the stalls of the Annual Diplomatic Bazaar, (2022) and (2023)
Visiting the stalls of the Annual Diplomatic Bazaar, (2022) and (2023)
Visiting the stalls of the Annual Diplomatic Bazaar, (2022) and (2023)
Visiting the stalls of the Annual Diplomatic Bazaar, (2022) and (2023)
Visiting the stalls of the Annual Diplomatic Bazaar, (2022) and (2023)
Visiting the stalls of the Annual Diplomatic Bazaar, (2022) and (2023)
Visiting the stalls of the Annual Diplomatic Bazaar, (2022) and (2023)
Karameh Martyrs Camp in South Shouneh, (2017)
Arab Scouts Camp in Amman, (2018)
Karameh Camp in (2022)
Princess Basma's association with the Scouting Movement began in the early days of her schooling, when she first joined as a Brownie and then became a Girl Guide. She headed the parade in the first Boy Scout and Girl Guide festival in Jordan which took place in the late 1960s. Today, she leads the movement in her capacity as President of the Jordanian Association of Boy Scouts and Girl Guides (JABSGG). The local movement has witnessed impressive growth over the years and with the involvement of the Ministry of Education, membership has reached far into the tens of thousands.
The Boy Scouts and Girl Guide movement in Jordan was introduced in the early 1920’s and the first formal group was formed in 1953 under Her Majesty Queen Zein al Sharaf, the Princess’s late mother, at the Queen Zein Al Sharaf School in Amman.
In 1954 the Jordanian scouts’ movement was officially established with parliament approval, and was recognized by the world movement one year later.
In 1956, Queen Zein Al Sharaf, accepted the invitation to head the Jordanian Scout movement. Princess Basma assumed her own post as President of the JABSGG in 1989.
The JABSGG mission is in line with the international movement, in preparing young boys and girls to become responsible and active citizens in their society and the world at large; by supporting them in their physical, mental and spiritual development.
In 2005 the Jordanian Association hosted the 32nd World Conference of the World Association of Girl Guides and Girl Scouts (WAGGGS). It was the first WAGGGS World Conference to be held in the Arab region, attracting the participation of nearly 500 delegates from 122 countries. During the Conference Princess Basma was presented with the prestigious WAGGGS World Citizenship Award.