TAKREEM honours pioneering blind Jordanian theatre teacher

Manama, Nov. 22 (BNA): A blind Jordanian theatre teacher has recently been honoured by TAKREEM. She was granted the sixth edition of the initiative's Award for Innovation in Education to become the first Arab lady to win the prize aimed at motivating the Arab youth and encouraging them to self-initiate. Rawan Barakat, a theatre teacher, an actress and a producer, was born in Amman, Jordan. Ever since she was a child, she has displayed leading skills by volunteering in the Children Parliament at the age of eleven. She also took part in many conferences in human rights and child fields and represented her country in many events all over the world. She studied the Jordanian theatrical art from 1999 to 2002 and in 2008, she obtained her Bachelor of Arts from Jordan University to embark on a teaching career full of creativity. In 2009, Rawan Barakat's name shone when she set up Raneen, a non-profit organization that produces audio stories for children in standard Arabic. It aims at helping children develop effective listening and communicating skills and improving their Arabic language. In recognition of her achievements, Rawan Barakat won many prizes and certificates of appreciation including Kind Abdullah II Award for Youth Innovation and Achievement (2009) and Shaikha Fatima bint Mubarak International Award for Arab Youth.