Queen Rania joins UNICEF in urging US schoolgirls to ‘shout out’ for less fortunate

Queen Rania Al Abdullah of Jordan has visited a girls’ school in New York to shine the spotlight on the crucial role that quality education plays in improving children’s lives, in her official role with the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF).

Joining UNICEF Executive Director Ann M. Veneman, Queen Rania met with students and staff at the highly successful Young Women’s Leadership School in East Harlem – a public school serving low-income minority students – on Monday.

“I want you, girls with voices, to speak up and shout out for girls whose cries fall silent,” said Queen Rania, who has served as UNICEF’s Eminent Advocate for Children since 2007.

“I want you to pull up another girl, and help her stand tall and strong,” she added. “I want you to be great, and inspire greatness in others. If anyone can do it, you can.”

Queen Rania – UN Girls’ Education Initiative’s (UNGEI) Honorary Global Chair since July – and Ms. Veneman visited classrooms and spoke to a student assembly at the school, which has sent 100 per cent of its graduates on to higher education for nine consecutive years.

Despite a 16 per cent global drop in the total number of out-of-school children since 1999, there are still approximately 100 million worldwide who remain outside an education system – the majority of them girls. UNGEI was established in 2000 to provide the extra support that girls in many countries need to enter and stay in school.

“Providing quality education to girls is a sound investment that helps build a brighter future for their communities and their countries,” said Ms. Veneman. “Her Majesty Queen Rania is a strong voice promoting access to a quality education for children around the world.”