Queen Rania of Jordan

Rania Al Abdullah (born Rania Al-Yassin, 31 August 1970) is Queen of Jordan as the wife of King Abdullah II. Rania's domestic activities include education, youth, environmental, and health initiatives. Globally, she has campaigned for education and cross-cultural dialogue. She has authored three children's books: The Sandwich Swap, The King's Gift, and Eternal Beauty.

Rania Al-Yassin was born on 31 August 1970 in Kuwait, to Palestinian parents. Her father, Faisal Al-Yassin, was originally from Tulkarm in the West Bank, Palestine. Rania attended the New English School in Kuwait and subsequently earned a degree in business administration from the American University in Cairo. Following her graduation, she worked briefly in marketing for Citibank, followed by a job with Apple Inc. in Amman, Jordan.

Since her marriage, Rania has used her position to advocate for various sectors of society in Jordan and beyond.

Queen Rania has launched and championed several initiatives in education and learning. She has stated that an essential aspect of education is to equip young people with the necessary skills to perform well in the workplace. She has said that education is a tool for individuals to empower themselves, allows the poor to improve their lives, and is an investment Jordan makes to protect its people from being exploited and falling victim to extremist ideology.

In July 2005 in partnership with the Ministry of Education, the King and Queen launched an annual teachers' award, the Queen Rania Award for Excellence in Education.

The Queen is chairperson of Jordan's first interactive children's museum, which opened in May 2007. In April 2008, the Queen launched "Madrasati" ("My School"), a public-private initiative aimed at refurbishing 500 of Jordan's public schools over a five-year period. Rania also established The Queen Rania Al Abdullah Center for Educational Technology on 6 June 2001, aiming to use modern technology to serve and develop education in Jordan.

The Queen Rania Teacher Academy, which was launched in June 2009, provides professional development programs for current and new teachers in partnership with the Ministry of Education. The Queen Rania Scholarship Program partners with several universities from around the world to support scholarships and training for Jordanian students and workers in management, marketing, design, business administration, psychology, engineering, law, and other fields.

Queen Rania's first venture was the establishment of the Jordan River Foundation (JRF) in 1995.