McGill's Middle East Program gets royal nod

Queen Rania of Jordan recently conducted a tour of schools in Amman, Jordan, which included a visit to the Community Development Centre (CDC), a social agency affiliated with the University of Jordan (UJ) and primarily funded by CIDA. The centre is currently running 12 community development programs, which directly affect between 15,000-20,000 underprivileged residents of the area annually. Five of the centre's core professional staff, including the director, are graduates of McGill with master's degrees in social work through the McGill Middle East Program (MMEP). "The fellowship program is a clear example of how professional social workers can work with members of the community to improve conditions and advance civil society," MMEP manager David Leduc told the Jordan Times. Canadian ambassador Margaret Huber met with Queen Rania and expressed the Canadian government's wish to see "more social centres like the CDC in Jordan." The Queen suggested stronger collaboration between McGill and UJ, in order to serv