What is daily life like for Afghan children behind the headlines?
Issa works to support his family. Read his story. Media headlines about Afghanistan currently focus mainly on the coalition military strategy and casualties. But what is daily life like for children behind the headlines? “The worst pain is in my knee. When I get tired, it swells and pushes on my nerve. I can’t stand on my feet. I scream with pain.” Issa Khan spends a lot of time on his feet, walking the streets of Mazar-i-Sharif, selling cups of water or bread. Ever since his father was shot while sleeping on the roof of his house one night, Issa has become the family’s breadwinner. He is also responsible for his brother who has suffered from mental health problems ever since their father’s murder. We only know about his father’s murder through Issa’s testimony. Stuart Shahid Bamforth, who works for Save the Children and filmed Issa, points out that capturing children’s life stories is key to the Child’s Eye project, produced jointly by the Guardian and Save the Children. “We want to r
