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Girl Scout Cookie Season Has Special Meaning For 2 Young Afghan Refugees Trying To Rebuild Lives

(CBS4)- Those passing by a Broomfield shopping center on Sunday Heard a familiar call.

"Girl Scouts cookies," 10-year-old Shahdukht yelled.

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(credit: CBS)

Wearing their signature brown Brownie vests, they were out in the cold on the first day sales trying to reach a lofty goal.

"I want to sell 600 boxes and I want to sell 300," Shahdukht and her 8-year-old cousin Hada said.

To those stopping to buy cookies, it seemed as if they'd been Girl Scouts for years.

"It feels empowered and you're going to make friends," Shahdukht said.

But the cousins are brand new to the troop, new to Colorado in fact they have only been in the United States for a few months.

Their family was among the thousands that fled Afghanistan to avoid Taliban rule.

"We were in real threat of being assassinated or killed by the Taliban.," Dr. Mirwais Baheej said.

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(credit: CBS)

Dr. Baheej, Shahdukht's father, remembers feeling a brief second of relief once they reached the gate outside the Kabul airport and then a moment later it was chaos.

"We were happy we were relieved and thinking, 'Thank God we are now going to a safe haven' and in seconds the blast happened and in seconds it changed our life."

Three of their family members were killed and several more badly injured, including both girls who spent weeks in a coma.

"Just in the hospital was so hard," Shahdukht said.

"So hard," her cousin Hada echoed.

With family already in Colorado, they were resettled in Broomfield and found the Girl Scout organization and troop leaders among their biggest supporters.

"They reached out, they saw the problem, they identified the girls and they welcomed them in in a way that has changed their lives," Girl Scout CEO Leanna Clark said.

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(credit: CBS)

The troop gave Shahdukht and Hada opportunities that would never have been had they stayed in Afghanistan and gave the family hope, as they work to build a new life.

"They are doing great things they are happy making friends and forgetting what happened to them, day by day… it takes time," Dr. Baheej said.

The Girl Scouts are offering free membership to any refugee who is interested in joining.

If you would like to find out where the girls are selling next or help them reach their goal you can visit the link below.

LINK: Afghan Girl Scouts Colorado

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