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. I live in fear that my children will die of hunger. His story is in no way unique.
In Afghanistan today, 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 to a fraction of what it once was.
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. Ghor is one of the worst-affected provinces.
The men here are desperate. I got a call saying my children hadn't eaten for two days, says Rabani, his voice choking up. I felt like I should kill myself. But then I thought how will that help my family? So here I am looking for work.
The choice to sell daughters over sons is due to cultural perceptions, as sons are seen as future breadwinners. The Taliban's restrictions on education and employment for women exacerbate the crisis.
Many fathers, like Abdul Rashid Azimi, express their misery, stating, I'm willing to sell my daughters... I could feed the rest of my children for at least four years if I sell one. Such decisions are often borne out of necessity amid an unforgiving economic landscape, where survival is a daily challenge.
Though these stories are harrowing, they represent the wider humanitarian crisis that continues to unfold across Afghanistan, leaving countless families in dire need of assistance.
