Earlier today, Her Majesty Queen Rania Al Abdullah granted audience to and receive five Jordanian entrepreneurs and businesswomen to congratulate them on their success at TechWomen 2017, which was held in Silicon Valley in October. She received them at the Al Husseinya Palace in Amman

Yesterday Her Majesty together with HRH Crown Prince Hussein accompanied His Majesty at the Jordanian Parliament's opening ceremony 

According to Her Majesty's website, she commended them on their winning project, titled ‘Orphans in Jordan’, which consists of a digital platform aimed at increasing orphan’s low enrolment rates in institutes of higher education. And also expressed her pride in their achievements, and discussed with them the important impact their project will have on their community, paving the way for other Jordanians to similarly excel.

The women informed Her Majesty that the internship experiences had a tremendous personal impact on their confidence and entrepreneurial skills, encouraging them to develop new business ideas and partnerships after returning to Jordan. They also described to Her Majesty how their experiences in the United States had emboldened them to fight stereotypes about Arabs and correct misconceptions about Islam.

Coming from the four corners of the country, the Jordanian team consisted of Aseel Al Musa, Nour Al Tobasi, Ala'a Agha Karss, Hiba Shabrouq, and Dhelal Shorman, who were among 100 participants chosen from a total of 4,000 applicants from 20 countries. The team was awarded one of five socioeconomic seed grants, with the remaining four awarded to teams from Cameroon, Kenya, Pakistan, and South Africa.

The ambition and determination I witnessed today is an inspiration to our nation’s youth. Pleased to have met the Jordanian women who were awarded a seed grant for their winning project at the leading international tech gathering, TechWomen pic.twitter.com/HbTfEnyzCy

— Rania Al Abdullah (@QueenRania) November 13, 2017

Inspired by the women’s time spent volunteering at local orphanages, their project will encompass a series of intensive personality and capacity-building workshops, as well as a mentorship program to provide positive role models toward which orphans can aspire.

As part of TechWomen’s exchange program, the five women received three-week project-based internship placements at leading companies Twitter, Fitbit, Unity, and LinkedIn in Silicon Valley and the San Francisco Bay Area.

Aiming to empower, connect, and support emerging women leaders in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM), TechWomen is a mentorship and exchange program based in the United States. During TechWomen 2017, participants from around the world engaged in development workshops and  mentorships.

**Photo credits: Queen Rania/Website/
 *style post coming up later