Florence Nightingale International Foundation

The Florence Nightingale International Foundation (FNIF) is the premier foundation of the international Council of Nurses, supporting and complementing the work and objectives of ICN. The Girl Child Education Fund (GCEF), a signature initiative of FNIF, supports the primary and secondary schooling of girls under the age of 18 in developing countries whose nurse parent or parents have died. Your donation to the Girl Child Education Fund will go towards school fees, uniforms, shoes and books.

Since the initiation of the programme 316 girls have been enrolled in the GCEF. In 2010-11, the programme is taking on an evaluation to better understand the impact of the programme and how best to strengthen it. A contribution of just US$ 200 will help cover the costs of uniforms, school books, and fees for the primary education of a girl child for one year, and US$ 600 for secondary education. Approximately US$ 5,000 will secure the education of a girl throughout her primary and secondary schooling years.

What the nurse volunteers and teachers have to say:

The glamour and joy I see in the eyes of these girl children when I interact with them through this fund gives me the inner peace which gives me the impetus to carry on.

Before she was under your programme, she had some sort of inferiority complex, you could see that she was depressed and didn’t know what was next with her education but now she feels very secure. She mixes so easily with friends in sports, other clubs and academic work. She therefore participates fully.

Girl child education is very important in our society now because previously the girl child’s position was known to only be in the kitchen but those days are gone. The girl child must forge forward and attain the highest level of education. [One of the GCEF girls] is even earning to reach university which we know she will definitely do.

What the guardians and parents have to say

It has relieved me from the burden of thinking of what the future holds for her and how I was going to be able to scout for funds to cater for her financially.

Now that she has been in the programme for two years I can see a bright future for the child as she will manage to finish school/education. There are changes since she has joined the programme: her performance at school is promising, and she is a happy girl as she knows that the programme is meeting her needs.

When my husband died in 2004, my children were still very young. I knew that no one was going to help me raise my children, let alone take them to school. I started looking for part time jobs and doing small businesses to raise funds for food and school requirements. The funding that we get from [the GCEF] will help my children complete their education. Without this programme I do not know what I would have done.

What the girls have to say:

This program is my mother and my father it means everything to me.

The future is promising because the GCEF came into existence and my dreams will be accomplished.

This programme is the reason I am in school and why I am where I am because, trust me, when I lost my father in my primary everything seemed to have come to an end because he was the sole provider and I have other siblings so it was not easy for me to continue. My paternal relatives wanted me to get married and someone was telling me to enroll in something else so if I am to tell any one about this I would say this is the reason I am in school. It is the reason why I am where I am today via my academics and my school and my future at large because many other girls like me have their future in education.

What I love about this programme is that we as girls would continue our education and not drop out of school. I would like to see the programme help other girls like me who will need help. And I wanted to say thanks for everything you people have done for me and what you people are doing to encourage girl child education.

International Council of Nurses

U.K. Registered Charity number : 1074773

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