Queen Rania joins volunteers and children at the Children\'s Museum

In celebration of His Majesty King Abdullah II's birthday on January 30th, Her Majesty Queen Rania Al Abdullah joined youth from the Voluntary Initiatives Network (VIN) in accompanying a group of children with disabilities to spend a fun filled day at the Children's Museum- Jordan. The Queen joined children as they toured the museum and played at different exhibits including the human body section, the imagination playground, and the construction areas. Organized by VIN, the fun day at the museum is part of a series of programs the network is organizing to celebrate His Majesty’s birthday by bringing joy to the vulnerable and giving back to the society. Ms. Sawsan Dalaq, Director of the Children’s Museum, stated that during last year the museum improved its facilities to become more accessible and ‘friendly’ for individuals with disabilities. Also during 2013 and through collaboration with the Higher Council for the Affairs of Persons with Disabilities, the museum had the opportunity to train its staff on how to lend their support to visitors with disabilities. Head of VIN Ms. Lana Al Ramahi said that their programs also include the launching of the second phase of the ‘Darna Darhom’ project, which is implemented at the elderly homecare center at Al Asirra Al Bayda’a Society. Through this project, VIN volunteers hope to work to beautify and improve the center to make the elderly feel more at home. Other projects run by VIN include the ‘Educate an Orphan’ initiative, and other activities are also held with Al Amal Center for Special Needs and a group of hearing-impaired children. Launched last year, the Voluntary Initiatives Network is a coalition of a group of voluntary Jordanian initiatives from across the kingdom whose main goal is to spread and enrich the culture of volunteerism and encourage positive change within the Jordanian society. The Children’s Museum- Jordan is one of the Queen's non-profit educational organizations that aims to nurture curious children who love to learn. Launched by Their Majesties in 2007, the museum offers over 110 indoor and outdoor permanent exhibits and educational facilities such as a library and an art studio. The museum offers year-round educational programs and events for children and has since its opening welcomed over 900,000 visitors.