Afghan Girl's Story Sparks School-Fund Donations

National Geographic News

April 26, 2002

More than U.S. $220,000 has been given to the National Geographic Society's href="http://www.nationalgeographic.com/help/education.html" target="_new">Afghan Girls Fund since it was created five weeks ago.

"Gifts have flooded in by mail and online from more than 2,400 contributors, and more are arriving every day," said Anne Cowie, the Society's director of development.

The Afghan Girls Fund was established to help provide educational opportunities for young women and girls in Afghanistan.

National Geographic created the fund in honor of Sharbat Gula, the mysterious "Afghan Girl" whose haunting green eyes intrigued the Society's readers for 17 years.

Sharbat's iconic image was shot in 1984 by photographer Steve McCurry in a refugee camp in Pakistan. Over the years her face became famous around the world, although no one knew her name or what had become of her.

A National Geographic team found Sharbat in January 2002 after showing her photograph to residents of the refugee camp where McCurry found her as a child years ago.

Today she is married and has three daughters. She agreed to National Geographic's request that she be photographed again, but she requested that her privacy be respected.

The story of Sharbat and how she was found captivated the hearts and minds of millions of people worldwide five weeks ago. National Geographic has received thousands of letters asking for more information about her. And money has been pouring into the Afghan Girls Fund.

Matching of First $100,000

National Geographic has pledged to match the first hundred thousand dollars of contributions from the public. All the money in the fund will be distributed through nonprofit organizations with expertise in working in Afghanistan, said Cowie. "None of the funds will be used to defray any of National Geographic's overhead. The Society is donating the staff time to put this effort together," said Cowie.

"We will be working with The Asia Foundation on this project, a nonprofit with the knowledge, history, and presence on the ground in Afghanistan to assist us in identifying or developing programs that can benefit the young women of that country," Cowie said.

"The Asia Foundation will be spending considerable time, including travel to Afghanistan to do the due diligence and assess the needs and accountability of the specific projects they recommend for our funding," Cowie said. "Their involvement will ensure that only credible organizations meeting our objectives receive grants from the fund."

Many readers asked why National Geographic is supporting education for girls and not boys in Afghanistan. Betty Hudson, National Geographic's senior vice president for communications, said: "While we of course believe in the value of education for boys as well as girls, the young women of Afghanistan have been particularly disadvantaged of late. Under the Taliban, girls were not allowed to receive an education. There's a whole generation of teenagers that has not been offered even the most basic elementary schooling.

"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.