This is an International Council of Nurses / Florence Nightngale International Fund funded project where orphans occassioned by a death of NNAK members are educated free from the age of 5 to 18 years.

In 1999, the 6th billionth child was born. If the baby was a girl she will be worse off than a boy almost anywhere.

Social attitudes continue to make girls vulnerable, in the family and the community,  from birth until womanhood. In many countries girl children endure a low status and have fewer of the rights and benefits of childhood that the boy child. They have reduced access to nutrition, health care and education. They are too often victims of gender discrimination, violence, sexual exploitation and abuse. In its most severe from this discrimination results in the practice of foeticide and infanticide of the girl infant.

Progress is occurring  in education of girls, with most developing countries reporting significant gains in primary education. However, there has been spotty or no progress in secondary education, math and science, gender sensitivity of curricula and teachers, and in school retention of adolescent girls.

Violence is seen as the most serious problem for girls everywhere, varying regionally from interfamilial sexual and physical abuse, to female genital mutilation,  early marriage, and commercial sexual exploitation. Teenage pregnancy is a widespread concern and often begins a cycle of deprivation. The children of teenage mothers are more likely to have low birth weight, do badly in school and are at greater risk of abuse and neglect.

Finally,even where minimum age labour laws exist, there is little political will to enforce them. Moreover, enforcement of legislation does not reach the majority of girls who perform invisible work.