In Afghanistan’s remote Ghor province, fathers desperate to feed their families are being pushed into heartbreaking decisions as hunger and poverty deepen across the country.
Every morning, hundreds of men gather in a dusty square in Chaghcharan hoping for a day’s work that could mean the difference between eating and starving. Most return home empty-handed.
“I live in fear that my children will die of hunger,” said 45-year-old labourer Juma Khan, who said he had found only three days of paid work in six weeks.
The United Nations estimates that three in four Afghans can no longer meet their basic needs, while millions are now on the brink of famine following severe aid cuts, rising unemployment and prolonged drought.
In nearby villages, some families said the crisis had become so severe they were considering selling their daughters to survive.
Abdul Rashid Azimi, a father living in Ghor, said he was prepared to sell his seven-year-old twin daughters because he could no longer feed them.
“All we have to eat is bread and hot water,” his wife, Kayhan, said.
Another father, Saeed Ahmad, said he agreed to give his five-year-old daughter to a relative in exchange for money needed to pay for life-saving surgery after she fell seriously ill.
“If I had money, I would never have taken this decision,” he said.
Many Afghan families previously relied on international food assistance, but aid levels have sharply declined since the Taliban returned to power in 2021.
The United States, once Afghanistan’s largest donor, cut most aid last year, while other countries also reduced contributions. UN figures show humanitarian funding this year has fallen dramatically compared with previous years.
The Taliban government blamed the country’s economic collapse on the aftermath of the 20-year war and the withdrawal of foreign forces, while critics said restrictions imposed on women and girls had contributed to international isolation and declining donor support.
Hospitals in Ghor are also struggling with severe shortages of medicine and equipment as malnutrition among children rises.
Doctors said many families were removing critically ill babies from hospital because they could no longer afford treatment.
At the province’s main hospital, overcrowded neonatal wards were filled with underweight newborns suffering breathing complications linked to malnutrition and poor maternal health.
Medical staff said child deaths linked to hunger and preventable illnesses were increasing as the humanitarian crisis worsened across Afghanistan.
Erizia Rubyjeana
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