'Afghan Girl' Sharbat Gula Safely Evacuated to Italy Via Efforts of Photographer Steve McCurry, Metagood/OnChainMonkey Crypto Community & Future Brilliance Charity
The legendary 'Afghan Girl' photographer, Steve McCurry, and his sister, Bonnie McCurry, are delighted to announce that, together with the British-American charity, Future Brilliance, and with the support of the Italian government, and NFT for Social Good platform Metagood, they have been able to bring the famous icon for Afghan female refugees, Sharbat Gula, to safety.
Background:
Six weeks ago, Bonnie McCurry reached out to Future Brilliance founder, impact pioneer, and investor Sophia Swire who has a 30-year track record of empowering women in Afghanistan. She told Sophia that Sharbat Gula wanted to be evacuated with her family. After considering all the various country options, they confirmed with Sharbat that her family hoped to seek asylum in Italy. Sophia and her team activated the Future Brilliance network in Afghanistan and, together with the McCurry family, arranged the necessary paperwork, visas, and logistics.
The NFT for good platform Metagood (who worked with McCurry to display his latest work during COP26) donated funding to this effort that was raised during its highly successful sale of its NFT collection, OnChainMonkey. Metagood will be working with Steve and Bonnie McCurry to raise additional funds from the crypto community for Sharbat Gula and her family’s resettlement in Italy through the sale of NFTs in 2022.
Steve McCurry is "grateful for the humanitarian gesture of the Italian government, the operational excellence of Future Brilliance, and the generous financial support of Metagood. "
“This was the most incredible news to receive on Thanksgiving Day,” said Bonnie McCurry. “It is truly a godsend; this rescue mission has been a group effort from the start. It’s a dream come true. Sharbat is incredibly grateful to the Italian people, and we are all deeply grateful to the Italian government for their support and generosity.”
“We are so proud of our Metagood and OnChain Monkey community - their support helped make this incredible achievement possible,” said Bill Tai, Metagood chairman and co-founder. “The Metagood Giving Fund was designed precisely for initiatives like this - to harness the power of crypto communities for real-world good.”
About Metagood
Metagood is a platform for auctioning & purchasing digital collectables and NFTs with a cause. OnChainMonkey was their first NFT collection launched in September 2021. The Metagood Giving Fund is the philanthropic arm of Metagood. To learn more, visit us at metagood.com and onchainmonkey.com.
About Steve McCurry
Steve McCurry is an award-winning American photojournalist. His 1984 photo Afghan Girl has appeared on magazine covers around the globe.
About Future Brilliance
Future Brilliance is a dynamic, women-led, non profit organisation that fosters stabilisation in vulnerable communities through workforce and enterprise development. Since August 2021, they have supported safe passage for more than 300 Afghans, mainly women and children. Donations to Future Brilliance can be made here.
To view this piece of content from cts.businesswire.com, please give your consent at the top of this page.
View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20211126005556/en/
Contact information
Contact Information:
Steve McCurry: press@stevemccurry.com
Future Brilliance: Sophia Swire, sophiaswire@futurebrilliance.net
Metagood: Amanda Terry, hello@metagood.com
About Business Wire
For more than 50 years, Business Wire has been the global leader in press release distribution and regulatory disclosure.
Subscribe to releases from Business Wire
Subscribe to all the latest releases from Business Wire by registering your e-mail address below. You can unsubscribe at any time.
Latest releases from Business Wire
Frontgrade Gaisler and wolfSSL Collaborate to Enhance Cybersecurity in Space Applications3.4.2025 09:35:00 EEST | Press release
Frontgrade Gaisler, a leading provider of radiation-hardened microprocessors for space missions, and wolfSSL, a renowned provider of embedded security solutions, are pleased to announce a new collaboration that addresses the growing need for robust cybersecurity features in space applications. This joint effort will combine Frontgrade Gaisler's radiation-hardened electronics with wolfSSL's security software libraries. At the highest Technology Readiness Level of 9 (TRL-9), the Frontgrade Gaisler’s GR740 quad-core microprocessor is trusted across multiple space mission profiles. The microprocessor’s software ecosystem is now further enhanced by porting wolfSSL’s wolfCrypt robust cryptography library. This integration offers customers a combination of rad-hard hardware and resilient cybersecurity software. WolfSSL’s wolfCrypt library equips users with a lightweight, high-performance cryptographic solution that ensures secure communications, data integrity, and protection against cyber th
Giesecke+Devrient Continues Strong Growth Trajectory3.4.2025 09:30:00 EEST | Press release
Giesecke+Devrient (G+D) continues to write its growth story. The SecurityTech company achieved the highest revenue in its history in the 2024 fiscal year, surpassing its outstanding 2023 performance, even in an economically challenging environment. The SecurityTech company G+D continued its growth path in the past fiscal year 2024. The company generated revenue of EUR 3.132 billion, achieving organic revenue growth of five percent compared to the previous year, or six percent at constant exchange rates. In the previous fiscal year 2023, the G+D Group achieved sales of just under three billion euros for the first time. G+D's earning power also reached a new peak. Adjusted earnings before interest and taxes (EBIT) increased by 6% to 187 million euros. Free cash flow improved to over 200 million euros. The company's order intake suggests that this growth trajectory is set to continue, amounting to a record volume of 3.3 billion euros. G+D's future-proof portfolio proved to be a strong dri
WeFi Technology Group Announces Nela Mullaj as Chief Operating Officer, EMEA & APJ3.4.2025 09:00:00 EEST | Press release
Nela Mullaj brings over 20 years of extensive experience in the financial sector and has a proven track record of leadership and innovation. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20250402700418/en/ Nela Mullaj, Chief Operating Officer, EMEA & APJ at WeFi Technology Group “I am incredibly excited to step into this role,” says Mullaj. “It is my hope that my deep understanding of the financial landscape, combined with a clear strategic vision, will prove instrumental as we continue to expand our presence and deliver cutting-edge solutions to our clients across EMEA and APJ; solutions that address their specific needs and foster strong partnerships.” In her capacity as COO, Mullaj will oversee operations, optimise business processes and develop KPIs to drive efficiency and growth. She will also play a pivotal role in scaling operations to meet the increasing demand for WeFi’s innovative financial solutions, particularly i
Applus+ Appoints Richard Bartlett as Chief Executive Officer3.4.2025 09:00:00 EEST | Press release
Applus+, a global leader in testing, inspection and certification services with headquarters in Barcelona, is pleased to announce a new chapter in its leadership. Effective 7 April 2025, Joan Amigó I Casas, who has served as Chief Executive Officer of Applus+ since 2022, has elected to step down from his current position and take on a newly created role as Senior Advisor to the Board. In this capacity, Joan will report to Mike Smith, the recently appointed Chairman of Applus+, and focus on strengthening Government and State relations and leading strategic projects of national significance. He will also continue to serve on the Boards of IDIADA and LGAI. Mike Smith, Chairman of Applus+, said: “Joan has overseen significant growth in Applus+ during his time as CEO and has guided the business through the transition from public to private ownership. We are very grateful for his contribution and delighted that he has agreed to be a Senior Advisor to the Board.” Applus+ is also pleased to an
Parse Biosciences Partners with Japanese Distributor, SCRUM Inc.3.4.2025 00:00:00 EEST | Press release
Parse Biosciences, the leading provider of accessible and scalable single cell sequencing solutions, today announced an agreement with Tokyo-based SCRUM Inc. to expand its presence in Japan’s research community. This collaboration will provide researchers in academia and industry with full access to Parse’s innovative single cell sequencing solutions. “Biotech, pharma, and academic researchers throughout Asia are rapidly adopting Parse’s Evercode single cell sequencing solutions because of their scalability and simplicity,” said Alex Rosenberg, PhD, CEO and co-founder of Parse Biosciences. “By partnering with SCRUM, we are ensuring that researchers in Japan can easily leverage Parse’s advanced single cell sequencing technology to accelerate their discoveries.” Through this agreement, SCRUM will distribute Parse’s comprehensive portfolio of single cell solutions throughout Japan, including: Evercode™ Cell and Nuclei Fixation Evercode™ Whole Transcriptome Evercode™ TCR Evercode™ BCR CRIS
In our pressroom you can read all our latest releases, find our press contacts, images, documents and other relevant information about us.
Visit our pressroom