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Saeed Ahmad tells us he has already been forced to sell his five-year-old daughter, Shaiqa, after she got appendicitis and a cyst in her liver.

I had no money to pay the medical expenses. So I sold my daughter to a relative," he says.

Shaiqa's surgery was successful. The money for it came from the 200,000 Afghani ($3,200/£2,400) she has been sold for.

"If I had taken the whole sum at that time, he would have taken her away. So I told him just give me enough for her treatment now, and in the next five years you can give me the rest after which you can take her," explains Saeed.

. . .
"If I had money, I would never have taken this decision," Saeed says.

"But then I thought, what if she dies without the surgery? This way at least she will be alive."

. . .

Just two years ago, Saeed was getting some help.

Back then, he and his family – like millions of other Afghans - received food aid: flour, cooking oil, lentils and supplements for children.

But massive cuts in aid over the past few years have deprived a large majority of this life-saving assistance.

The US – once the top donor to Afghanistan – cut nearly all aid to the country last year. Many other key donors have also significantly reduced contributions, including the UK. Current UN figures show that the aid received so far this year is 70% lower than in 2025.

Severe drought . . .