Florence Nightingale International Foundation [Girl Child Education Fund]

------ FNIF GIRL CHILD EDUCATION FUND ------
A Nursing Initiative for Orphaned Girls

FNIF Girl Child Education
Fund

What is the Girl Child Education Fund?
Sending girls to school - Securing healthy futures

Poverty, natural and man-made disasters, the HIV pandemic and the re-emergence of TB and malaria in developing countries are causing premature death, leaving behind millions of orphaned children, including those of nurses. Many will not be able to go to school unless we can help. Through the Girl Child Education Fund (GCEF) the orphaned daughters of nurses in developing countries are getting back to school. The GCEF supports the primary and secondary schooling of girls under the age of 18 in developing countries whose nurse parent or parents have died, paying for fees, uniforms, shoes and books. We work in partnership with member National Nurses Associations to ensure that the money goes directly to education costs. Every girl in our program is paired with a nurse volunteer to monitor her progress at school and at home.

Our Global Ambassador: Dr Afaf Meleis
FNIF is pleased to have the internationally known scholar and women's health advocate, Dr Afaf I. Meleis, as Global Ambassador for the Girl Child Initiative.

D. Alaf Melis

Dr Meleis is the Margaret Bond Simon Dean of Nursing of the University of Pennsylvania School of Nursing, and is a passionate advocate and spokeswomen on women’s health issues.

How Education Can Improve Girls’ Lives
Educating girls = better health

lmproved family planning
Lower infant mortality: every day over 2,700 children under the age of five will die needlessly because their mothers were denied an education earlier in life
Fewer maternal deaths in childbirth
Lower HIV/AIDS infection rates: rates are doubled among young people who do not finish primary school

Educating girls = better futures

Greater participation in the work force and increased family incomes: for each additional year a girl is in school, her wages as an adult rise by approximately 15 percent
Greater chance that their own children will be educated: children whose mothers have no education are more than twice as likely to be out of school as children whose mothers have some education

One Girl’s Story

Sarah is the youngest of five children. Her mother was a nurse at the district hospital and her father operated a carpentry shop. In 1998, Sarah’s mother became ill and was often in and out of hospital. Sarah did not know what was wrong with her mother. In 2003, her father also became ill. Her parents’ illness meant that most of their income went to hospital fees so Sarah’s older brothers were forced to drop out of school. In June 2004, Sarah overheard her brothers talking and discovered that her mother had AIDS.

Six months later, her mother died on 25th December 2004, Christmas Day. Three days later, Sarah received her school results: she had passed all her exams and could go to secondary school. Although her father was very ill, he continued to work so that Sarah could go to school. However, he could only pay the first term fees and in the second term, Sarah was also forced to drop out of school. Her elder brothers were now doing casual jobs to take care of the family and the medical expenses. Sarah also began to look for a job as a house maid.

In November 2005, Sarah’s father died. But two days later, some good news finally came her way. A former colleague of her mother came to tell her that she would be sponsored by the Girl Child Education Fund to continue her education.

When the school term began, the same woman came to escort her to school. Her fees, uniform and school meals were all paid for. Sarah was able to go back to school without interruption. Her performance in school has improved dramatically.

Sarah says: “The GCEF is a project that has made a significant difference in my life. It has transformed me from being a house maid to a student who will be a professional and contribute to the lives of many others as nurses have contributed to my life. Thank you very much for this noble project.”

What We Have Achieved

Since it was first launched in 2005, the GCEF has enabled over 200 girls to return to or stay in school but there are many more girls who are looking for financial help to continue their schooling and your donation could make that difference in their lives.

In Kenya, 38 girls are currently attending school thanks to the GCEF, with 39 being supported in Zambia. Swaziland has a total of 44 girls in their programme and Uganda now has 71. All these girls are the orphaned daughters of nurses.

Approach

FNIF’s approach is one of working in partnership with National Nurses Associations to ensure that the funding goes directly to support the education needs of girl orphans. We believe this is in the best interests of the child and is the most effective use of donor money. Protecting the dignity and privacy of the Fund beneficiaries is of paramount importance to us. This means that there is no personal or direct relation, obligation, or contact between the donor and any beneficiary. We will however provide general information about the initiative to our donors at regular intervals.

Our Partners

National Nurses Associations in sub-Saharan African countries - Kenya, Swaziland, Uganda and Zambia – are working in partnership with us to implement and administer the Fund on the ground. The associations receive applications from many prospective students and identify the neediest girls. Each beneficiary of the ICN/FNIF fund has lost a nurse parent and would otherwise be unable to continue their education. Each of these four countries has a GCEF coordinator and we also have an overall GCEF Coordinator, Olive Munjanja, whose duties include planning, implementation and follow-up of GCEF.

Background

Nurses have been involved with children’s issues for a long time. In 2000 FNIF launched the Girl Child Policy and Research Project to address health policy issues affecting girls aged 10 to 14. In the course of this work, ICN and FNIF have been increasingly drawn to the issue of orphaned children, particularly those of our nurse colleagues.

We know that nurses are dying daily. We also know that, amazingly, most children whose parent or parents have died have been cared for within the extended family. Families, at great cost, continue to take responsibility for around 90 per cent of orphans in the region. However, without support many of these children will not be able to go to school.

This led us to think about developing a broader initiative to address the overwhelming needs and numbers of orphaned children in Africa: thus the Girl Child Education Fund was born. Launched at ICN’s 23^rd Quadrennial Congress in May 2005, the response from the world’s nursing community has been spontaneous and generous. However, much remains to be done and ongoing support is vital.

Your Donation Will Make a Difference

A contribution of 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.

We offer secure donating online. Please click here to donate.

GCEF Champions

The Girl Child Education Fund has received many generous donations since its launch in 2005. Some of these are from individuals, others from National Nurses Association or other nursing groups. Some donations have been large, for example, the American Nurses Association, the American Nurses Credentialing Center, the American Academy of Nursing, and the American Nurses Foundation have made a pledge of $5,000 a year for 5 years. Others have been smaller: an 11 year old girl donated $50 raised at a yard sale - but they have all made a difference in the lives of a girl in Africa.

There are many ways to donate. We have received donations of honorariums from presentations; donations in honour of a friend or colleague, donations to celebrate Nurses Week or the New Year. The nursing students of Bellarmine University in Kentucky, USA, donated $600 raised at a silent auction. Others have donated in memory of a close friend or family member or in place of holiday greeting cards.

A retired nurse, Judith Ryan, has donated the proceeds of the sale of her paintings to the Girl Child Education Fund.

Judith Ryan

We would like to thank all our donors for their generous gifts and hope that you will continue to support this important project.

f you would like to help send an orphaned girl to school, please click here to donate.