In Afghanistan’s Ghor province, hunger forces families into desperation

Afghanistan is facing a deepening humanitarian crisis, with record hunger levels pushing around 4.7 million people to the brink of famine, according to humanitarian accounts from some of the country's hardest-hit regions.

In Ghor province, where drought, unemployment and shrinking foreign aid have combined to worsen living conditions, many families say they are struggling to secure even one meal a day, reports the BBC.

Every morning, hundreds of men gather in dusty public squares in the provincial capital of Chaghcharan, hoping to find manual labour. Many return home empty-handed.

Some workers reported finding only a few days of employment over several weeks, earning the equivalent of between $2.35 and $3.13 per day.

Families in the province said they were surviving on bread and hot water for days at a time. Some fathers described feelings of despair over their inability to provide food for their children.

The worsening economic conditions have also led some families to make extreme decisions, including arranging marriages for young daughters in exchange for money or support.

One father said selling one daughter could provide enough money to feed his remaining children for four years.

In another case, a man sold his five-year-old daughter to a relative for 200,000 Afghani ($3,200) to pay for surgery. Under the agreement, the child is expected to leave her family and marry the relative's son when she turns 10.

Aid workers and residents said girls are more likely than boys to be affected by such arrangements because sons are traditionally viewed as future earners. Restrictions imposed by the Taliban on women's education and employment have further reduced opportunities for girls and women, they said.

Healthcare facilities across the province are also under strain as malnutrition and preventable diseases contribute to rising child mortality.

Residents described graveyards where the number of children's graves appeared to outnumber those of adults by roughly two to one.

In provincial neonatal units, overcrowding has forced hospitals to place two infants in a single bed, according to local accounts. Doctors said many babies are born premature or underweight because their mothers did not receive adequate nutrition during pregnancy.

Public hospitals frequently lack medicine and diagnostic equipment, including MRI scanners, forcing families to purchase treatment from private pharmacies. Many cannot afford the costs and instead take sick children home without treatment.

International assistance to Afghanistan has fallen sharply in recent years. United Nations figures show aid levels are now around 70% lower than in 2025, after major donors including the United States and Britain reduced contributions.

The Taliban government has blamed the country's economic hardship on what it describes as the "artificial economy" created during the 20-year U.S.-led intervention in Afghanistan and has argued that humanitarian aid should not be politicized.

Western donors, however, have reduced engagement in part because of Taliban restrictions on women and girls, including limits on education and employment.