On Tuesday, May 24, 2022, Her Majesty Queen Rania of Jordan visited the Jordan River Designs Showroom in Amman. The purpose of the visit was to follow up on the Jordan River Foundation’s (JRF) social enterprises, including the latest Jordan River Designs and Al Karma Kitchen projects.

During Her Majesty’s meeting with the JRF Director-General, Ms. Enaam Barrishi and other staff members, Her Majesty Queen Rania received a briefing on the achievements and future plans of Jordan River Designs and Al Karma Kitchen, including its efforts to begin exporting food items to regional markets abroad, and expand the number of female beneficiaries employed by these projects. 

Her Majesty also met with women working in Al Karma Kitchen, an empowerment initiative that produces and sells a variety of food items prepared by local community women. Her Majesty expressed her admiration for the women’s hard work as they shared their success stories and the challenges they have met along the way. 

“It makes me so happy to hear people say that your food is just as good as homemade food and even better,” Her Majesty told the women. “That’s just proof that you put your heart into your work!” She added.  

Her Majesty Queen Rania also noted that:

“…each beneficiary represents a model of the successful and hardworking Jordanian woman who supports her family and insists on being part of society’s fabric of productive women. I would like you to be just as proud of yourselves as I am of you, and of everything you do for your families. Your success paves the way for the empowerment of many other women in Jordan..”

Through its series of social enterprises, the Jordan River Foundation hopes to revive traditional cooking and Bedouin-inspired arts and crafts. The foundation currently provides thousands of Jordanian women with livelihoods and a stable source of income, and in 2021 alone it managed to create over 660 employment opportunities through initiatives like Al Karma Kitchen and Jordan River Designs.