THE QUEEN of Jordan has paid a visit to Conway Education Centre in Conway Mill to meet with young people from Conway's Homework Club for refugee families.

The Queen, who is officially titled Her Majesty Queen Rania Al Abdullah, met with refugee children and those seeking asylum as well as adults who are in Conway's education programme as well as members of ArtsEkta's Art Route Collective to learn about the experiences of refugees and asylum seekers in Belfast.

The Queen of Jordan was here as part of the One Young World programme which was held in the SSE Arena.

Queen Rania spoke in English and Arabic to each of the young people, adult students and was keen to learn about their journeys and how they have made a new life in Belfast.

FÁILTE: Queen Rania of Jordan (in green) pictured talking to refugees in Conway Education Centre
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FÁILTE: Queen Rania of Jordan (in green) pictured talking to refugees in Conway Education Centre

The Queen of Jordan said: “It is inspiring to see proof that, when refugees are granted access to education and training opportunities, you can become not just productive members of society, but invaluable members of the community – neighbours, co-workers, and friends.”

She also commended Conway for helping refugees “overcome language and cultural barriers to forge new human connections” and “take back control of their own destinies".

Conway’s Centre manager Pauline Kersten said “It was a real honour to be asked to host this visit by Her Majesty Queen Rania. Her work to alleviate poverty and support refugees in Jordan and internationally is well known and we were delighted to show her Conway’s education programmes supporting refugees and those seeking asylum to build on their skills and talents, and providing opportunities for people from different cultures to meet and learn together”.

Dr. Nisha Tandon, CEO of ArtsEkta, said: “It was a true privilege to meet Her Majesty Queen Rania and introduce her to members of ArtsEkta’s Art Route Collective initiative which empowers women from our refugee and asylum seeker communities. Her words resonated with us all in the importance of providing integration pathways for new migrants who have come to our city to make a new life.

"On behalf of everyone at ArtsEkta we would like to thank Her Majesty for taking the time to meet with us and hear the journey of our participants.”

In 2015, Conway Education Centre introduced a number of programs to serve the city’s growing refugee population, including English language classes, a homework club for primary and secondary school students, and an annual summer school for refugee families. Run by teachers and trained volunteers, the programs aim to help refugees integrate into the community.