"Sharbat Gula's own 13-year-old daughter is one of those disenfranchised children," Hudson added, "and we believe it makes sense for us to focus our initial efforts towards assisting those girls."
Private Assistance
Many readers asked whether Sharbat Gula would receive any of the funds or whether National Geographic would compensate her for the use of her 1984 and 2002 photographs.
"Many people don't realize that the Society doesn't own the rights to any of those photographs, and in fact pays a fee every time the image is used," Hudson said. Nevertheless, she added, Sharbat and her family have granted permission for use of the photographs.
Hudson said the Society has worked closely with Sharbat and her family to provide an array of assistance and support that they have requested. Monetary gifts made to the more general education fund have not been tapped for this purpose.
The family also "asked that their desire for privacy and security be respected," said Hudson, adding: "With that in mind, we're not going to discuss the details of that help. We hope the public will understand."
One aspect of the Society's mission is to create awareness of the cultures and life experiences of people everywhere. Sharbat's image, and now the telling of her story, has been very powerful in focusing attention on children in Afghanistan, Hudson said.
"When we met her again, she expressed her desire to see her children, as well as those of other refugees, receive an education. She is aware of the fund to help Afghan girls, and has expressed her pleasure that she was the inspiration for it," Hudson said.
If you would like to contribute to the Afghan Girls Fund, secure online gifts can be made by clicking on the Fund's Web site, or you can mail your check to: Afghan Girls Fund, National Geographic Society, 1145 17th Street, NW, Washington, DC 20036. Thank you for your ongoing support of National Geographic.
|
SOURCES AND RELATED WEB SITES
|
