The Famous ‘Afghan Girl’ Finally Gets a Home in Afghanistan

It has been more than 30 years since she became a refugee.

Sharbat Gula, who is one of the world’s most famous refugees ever since she made the cover of National Geographic in June 1985, finally has a home. She was only 12-years-old when her piercing green eyes grabbed the world and she became known as “Afghan girl.” Now Gula, 45, is the owner of a 3,000-square-foot residence decorated to her liking in the capital of her native Afghanistan. Gula received the house as a gift from the Afghan government, as well as a $700-per-month stipend for living expenses and medical treatment. Gula has four children and suffers from hepatitis C, which killed her husband years ago. Gula had been orphaned at six-years-old and trekked by foot to Pakistan with her grandmother and siblings. It was there she became the unwitting poster child for the thousands of Afghan refugees streaming into Pakistan.

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