ICN and education: changing prospects for girls in Eastern and Southern Africa.

Abstract

This year, 2015, marks the 10-year anniversary of the launch of the Girl Child Education programme by the International Council of Nurses (ICN). Nurses have been involved with children's issues for a long time. In 2000 the Florence Nightingale International Foundation (FNIF) launched the Girl Child Policy and Research Project to address health policy issues affecting girls aged 10 to 14. This led ICN 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 (GCEF) was born. Launched at ICN's 23rd Quadrennial Congress in May 2005, it started with just 10 girls in four Eastern and Southern African countries: Kenya, Swaziland, Uganda and Zambia. Since that time, more than 300 girls have been enrolled, thus contributing to education of adolescents in Eastern and Southern Africa, the region bearing the heaviest burden of HIV and AIDS. Professor Sheila Tlou All these benefits of educating the girl-child underpin another important component of the education system – Comprehensive Sexuality Education (CSE). Good-quality CSE is now widely recognized as a critical component of HIV prevention. It is an effective response to a range of education, health and social issues, which impact on the lives of children and young people, particularly adolescent girls. CSE prepares adolescents for puberty, and helps them understand their bodies, make informed decisions about relationships and develop critical skills. It often delays initiation of sexual activity, thus reducing sexual risk-taking, and encourages adolescents and young people to have more equitable and healthy relationships. Therefore it is critical for regions such as Eastern and Southern Africa to start school-based CSE early in primary school, reaching young people prior to puberty and before they leave the formal education system. On 7 December 2013 in Cape Town, South Africa, Ministers of Health and Education from 20 countries of Eastern and Southern Africa affirmed a landmark commitment supporting sexuality education, and sexual and reproductive health services for adolescents and young people. This commitment, the result of intensive consultation at regional and country levels, is paving the way for accelerated scale up of HIV prevention through sexuality education, education in gender and human rights, and essential health services. It is our continued hope that this commitment will change the realities of how millions of young people access the sexual and reproductive health information and services they need to live healthy and empowered lives. I applaud ICN for an initiative in girl-child education that has, over the years, become a large programme. Girls enrolled in GCEF are orphaned daughters of nurses who, due to lack of parental guidance and school fees, would otherwise not be able to attend school. ICN works in partnership with the national nurses associations (NNAs) of Kenya, Swaziland, Uganda and Zambia to ensure that the GCEF funding goes directly to support the girls' educational needs. To protect the dignity and privacy of the girls, no personal or direct relation, obligation or contact exists between the donor and any beneficiary. Each of the partner NNAs has a GCEF coordinator whose duties include screening, recruitment and follow-up of the girls, as well as collaboration with the extended family. While much remains to be done and on-going support is vital, the ICN Girl Child Education Fund is doing a great deal to empower the girl child of Eastern and Southern Africa. Additional information about the Girl Child Education Fund can be found at www.fnif.org and www.icn.ch. Individuals and organisations wishing to donate funds can make contributions on the following secure online site: http://www.icn.ch/shop/en/donations/4-donation.html. Donations go directly to education costs.