Lunch with Queen Rania raises Dh500,000 for Palestinian schools

A lunch for women in Abu Dhabi, featuring the Jordanian queen, raises funds for school development.

ABU DHABI // More than Dh500,000 (US$136,000) was raised in the capital today at a women's lunch with Queen Rania of Jordan, with the funds going towards the development of Palestinian schools. Queen Rania launched the initiative, called Madrasati, last month. The first stage involves improvements in the infrastructure of 22 schools in East Jerusalem. About 380 women attended the charity event, held in the Intercontinental Hotel's ballroom. It included a fashion show of traditional dresses and an auction of an antique Jordanian dress, which sold for Dh60,000. [e-mail]