The International Council of Nurses (ICN) and the Florence Nightingale International Foundation (FNIF) have appointed UNAIDS Director for Eastern and Southern Africa Dr Sheila Tlou as Ambassador for the ICN/FNIF Girl Child Education Fund. Her new role as GCEF Ambassador will include promoting the importance of educating girls and raising the profile of the GCEF as a spokesperson in international spheres of nursing, health, education, gender and development.
Founded in 2006, the ICN/FNIF Girl Child Education Fund (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. The GCEF is currently supporting 155 girls in four countries in sub-Saharan Africa: Kenya, Swaziland, Uganda and Zambia.
I am delighted to be championing the GCEF and proud to be associated with the International Council of Nurses in this noble cause. Opening the doors to education for girls and women leads to better health for them and their communities, increased demand and realization of sexual and reproductive health and rights, reduced infant and maternal mortality, and increased economic and social development. It is above all the right thing to do.
UNAIDS Director for Eastern and Southern Africa Dr Sheila Tlou
Dr Tlou is an excellent choice for Ambassador to the Girl Child Education Fund, given her deep commitment to the promotion of gender equity, and her experience with the work of nurses in Southern Africa.
David C. Benton, Chief Executive Officer of the International Council of Nurses
