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HRH Princess Haya visits The Smith Family during Australian tour

Media releases

29 March 2017

This week, The Smith Family had the honour of hosting Her Royal Highness Princess Haya Bint Al Hussein, daughter of the late King Hussein of Jordan and wife of HH Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai.

The visit included introductions to a small group of children and community members involved in The Smith Family’s work, as well as meetings with The Smith Family’s chief executive Dr Lisa O’Brien and board chair Christine Bartlett.

“Her Royal Highness engaged empathetically with our Learning for Life families, listening closely and asking insightful questions. Her obvious warmth helped all guests feel at ease,” Dr Lisa O’Brien said.

“Afterwards, Christine and I were able to continue our discussions with Her Royal Highness. It was clear she was keen to understand our work and be more informed about its impacts for disadvantaged children.”

Reflecting on the visit, HRH Princess Haya said: “Every child is a treasure that deserves to have a chance to build a future for themselves with dignity. The Smith Family Charity is the biggest educational charity in Australia, and has helped 33,195 students who come from a background of poverty to access education. The work of the staff and volunteers, the contributions of generous donors and the extraordinary efforts of schools, determination of parents and children to fight for a future with hope, was truly inspirational.”

We would like to thank His Excellency Dr Obaid Al Hairi Salem Al Ketbi, UAE Ambassador to Australia, for helping to facilitate this royal visit as part of ongoing efforts to promote trade, social and cultural exchange between Australia and the United Arab Emirates.

Media contacts:

Andrew Dickson | National Media Manager (National) - 0421 285 529 | andrew.dickson@thesmithfamily.com.au
Carla Horton | Senior Media Advisor (QLD & WA) - 0423 618 776 | carla.horton@thesmithfamily.com.au
Reid Jermyn | Media Advisor (VIC, SA & NT) - 0412 803 566 | reid.jermyn@thesmithfamily.com.au
Ben Chenoweth | Senior Media Advisor (NSW, ACT & TAS) - 0413 346 934 | ben.chenoweth@thesmithfamily.com.au

The Smith Family is a national children’s education charity that helps young Australians experiencing disadvantage to create better futures for themselves through harnessing the power of education. We partner with around 800 Australian schools and work with over 162,000 children and young people experiencing disadvantage access our education support programs to help them overcome . For more information, visit thesmithfamily.com.au