from the jordan embassy of usa website:
Her Royal Highness Princess Basma Bint Talal
Her Royal Highness Princess Basma Bint Talal Abdallah Bin Al-Hussein is the only sister of His Majesty, the late King Hussein Bin Talal.
Princess Basma is married to Walid Al-Kurdi and has four children: Farah, Ghazi, Saad and Zein.
<LI>Princess Basma received her primary education in Amman at the Ahliyah School, then joined Benenden School in Britain, after which she went to Oxford University, where she specialized in languages.
In 1977, His Majesty, the late King Hussein entrusted Her Royal Highness Princess Basma with the founding of the Queen Alia Jordan Social Welfare Fund (QAF), and the Chairmanship of its Board of Trustees. QAF acts as a pioneering national non-governmental institution which aims to promote the concept of social development and to mobilize efforts of the private sector for teh effective participation in the development of local communities. Within this endeavour, Princess Basma is particularly interested in providing services to women and children, especially in rural and needy urban areas. Health programs directed to mothers and children are a major component of QAF's objectives. Training programs are provided for women in order to enhance their capabilities to contribute to the social and economic well-being of the family, and to ensure their involvement in the development process. Pre-school education is provided through kindergartens, which focus on the character building of children and on the development of their talents and capabilities. Similarly, school age children are able to benefit from the children's clubs activities.
In 1974, the Jordanian Save the Children Fund (JSCF) was established with Her Royal Highness Princess Basma as President. JSCF cares for children and provides them with essential services through its centers which offer health, cultural and educational programmes. In addition to children, these centres address the needs of women and mothers in particular, in rural and needy urban areas.
In 1992, the National Committee for Women's Affairs was established by Government Decree of which Her Royal Highness is Chairperson. Its membership is made up of senior government officials, representatives or government departments and voluntary organizations concerned in women's issues. Its aim is to establish a National Strategy and Action Plan on issues concerning women, to unify efforts of government and private organizations and to review legislation concerning women, in order to strengthen women's role in the development process.
Her Royal Highness established and oversees the National Population Committee (NPC), which is hosted by QAF. Its aims is to develop a National Population Strategy and observe demographic changes in Jordan.
Her Royal Highness is Chairperson of the Arab Association for Women and Development (AWAD), which was established in 1989. AWAD is a pan-Arab non-governmental association, whose membership includes both men and women with the aim of strengthening and enhancing the role of Arab women in the development and prosperity of their societies. It also aims to strengthen dialogue with decision makers in order to indetify priorities and needs of Arab women, and establish policies and strategies based on reearch and planning.
Her Royal Highness is also President of the Jordanian Association for Boy Scouts and Girl Guides, the national organization for promoting the aims and objectives of the Scout Movement.
Her Royal Highness is a member of the following international institutions: Olave Baden-Powell Society, UNIFEM Selection Committee for teh Noel Irwin - Hentschel's Foundation Women's Awards, WHO Scientific and Technical Advisory Group of the Adolescent Health Programme, and Arab Consultative Council for the International Planned Parenthood Federation in the Arab Region.
Her Royal Highness is also Honorary President of the following institutions, clubs and societies: Women Police, Princess Basma Battalion, Nurses and Midwives Union, Girl Guide Movement, Inner Wheel Club, Aqaba Cultural and Sports Club, Al-Bakaa Social Club, Amman Youth Club, Home and Garden Club, Jordanian Association for Boy Scouts and Girl Guides, Society for the Care of Orphans, Driver Society in Aqaba, Mouab Girls Welfare Society, Tafileh Girls Welfare Society, Development of Women Society, National Society for the Care of the Mentally Handicapped, Ithna Welfare Society, Abu Obaidah Welfare Society/Al Mazar, Handicapped Care Society in the South/Maan, Al-Thaghr Society for the Care of the Disables/Aqaba, Ibn Sina Cerebral Palsy Society/Amman, Friends of the Kidney Patients Society, Wadi-Sir Ladies Society, Jerusalem Charitable Society, Aqaba Ladies Welfare Society, Jordanian Association for Family Planning and Protection, and Arab Fund for Child Care Society.
As of May 1993, Her Royal Highness has been appointed to serve as an Honorary Human Development Ambassador by UNDP (United Nations Development Programme).
link:
http://www.jordanembassyus.org/new/jib/monarchy/hrhpb.shtml
link for profiles of other JRF members (P Hamz, QR, KA, P Aisha bint Al-Hussein, and P Feisal bin Al-Hussein:
http://www.jordanembassyus.org/new/jib/monarchy/monarchy.shtml