As dawn breaks, hundreds of men gather at a dusty square in Chaghcharan, the capital of Ghor province in Afghanistan.

They line the roadside 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.

Warning: This article contains distressing details

In Afghanistan today, a staggering three in four people cannot meet their basic needs, according to the UN. 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. In the two hours in the square, only three men got hired.

Abdul Rashid Azimi takes us into his home and brings out two of his children – seven-year-old twins Roqia and Rohila. He holds them close, eager to explain why he's making unbearable choices.

I'm willing to sell my daughters, he weeps. I'm poor, in debt and helpless. I come home from work with parched lips, hungry, thirsty, distressed and confused. My children come to me saying 'Baba, give us some bread'. But what can I give? Where is the work?

He hugs Rohila, kissing her as he cries. It breaks my heart but it's the only way to feed my other children.

A local bakery near the square opens up, distributing stale bread among the crowd and within seconds, the loaves have been pulled apart, the desperate fighting for each piece. The story is the same for many. Saeed Ahmad tells us he has already been forced to sell his five-year-old daughter, Shaiqa, after she got severe and needed medical attention.

I had no money to pay the medical expenses. So I sold my daughter to a relative, he explains. Shaiqa had successful surgery, but her price was eye-watering, leaving a permanent scar on both his family and the larger society he belongs to.

The reports continue to cite severe conditions where life-altering choices have become quotidian for families struggling against unimaginable odds.

This ongoing situation reflects not merely an economic collapse but an emerging humanitarian crisis that is invoking deep global concern.