Nurses have long been central in the provision of child and adolescent health care.  We are committed to building sound public policy for the healthy development of girls in particular because the benefits extend not just to individuals and families but to entire communities.  Nurses are uniquely positioned to bring their skills in disease prevention, health promotion and counselling to all the settings which impact directly on the health of the girl child: schools, homes, workplaces and health facilities.

The Girl Child Initiative (GCI), jointly developed and implemented by the International Council of Nurses and the Florence Nightingale International Association, provides a focus for the global nursing community’s efforts on behalf of girls.

The Girl Child Policy and Research Project aims to review national programmes and policies available to address the needs of girls between the ages of 10 and 14, interview girls with respect to their needs, and lead an interdisciplinary team to determine gaps in policy and programming and advocate for changes nationally. 

For more information on this project, please click here.

The Girl Child Education Fund, a nursing initiative for orphaned girls, supports the primary and secondary schooling of the orphaned daughters of nurses in developing countries, through the provision of school fees, uniforms and books. Launched in 2005, this year the Fund is supporting the education of 40 orphaned girls in four sub-Saharan African countries: Kenya, Swaziland, Uganda and Zambia.

For more information on the Fund, please click here