Nine months ago, Karzai Balochkhel was a tenth-grade student, learning maths, physics, and even a bit of art history. Today, he is an itinerant pedlar, selling paper towels door to door and learning how to haggle over pennies. On a good day he can make about $4 (£3.14), just enough for his family to eat that night.
At 16, Karzai is among thousands of students who have had to drop out of school or cut classes to work since the Taliban takeover in August. With almost no foreign aid entering the country, and many adults jobless, more and more school-age boys have become breadwinners for their families.
