As dawn breaks, hundreds of men gather at a dusty square in Chaghcharan, the capital of Ghor province in Afghanistan. They line the roadside with weary faces, hoping someone will come along offering any work. It will determine whether their families eat that day.
The likelihood of success, however, is low. Juma Khan, 45, has found just three days of work in the past six weeks that paid between 150 to 200 Afghani ($2.35-$3.13; £1.76-£2.34) per day.
My children went to bed hungry three nights in a row. My wife was crying, so were my children. So I begged a neighbour for some money to buy flour, he says.
His story is echoed by many in Afghanistan, where a staggering three in four people cannot meet their basic needs, according to the United Nations. Unemployment is rife, healthcare struggling, and the aid that once provided the basics for millions has dwindled.
The country is now facing record levels of hunger, with 4.7 million - more than a tenth of Afghanistan's population - estimated to be one step away from famine, particularly in the worst-affected provinces like Ghor.
Desperation leads many fathers to the unthinkable: selling their daughters to provide food for their families. Abdul Rashid Azimi, one such father, tragically admits, I'm willing to sell my daughters. I'm poor, in debt and helpless. It's heart-wrenching, but it's the only way I see to provide for my family. Selling one daughter could sustain us for years.
Among the crowd, men scramble for any job that might provide some financial relief. Their daily struggles are brutal and filled with desperation. As they gather in search of labor, their families go hungry.
This grim reality underscores ongoing issues in Afghanistan, particularly regarding gender and poverty. Cultural pressures often dictate that daughters are sold rather than sons, who are seen as future breadwinners. The increasingly bleak economy, compounded by the government's restrictions on women's work, has exacerbated these tragic choices.
