‘I Count My Children Every Night’: Afghan Father of 58 Struggles to Feed His Family

| October 21, 2026

In Afghanistan’s Uruzgan province, Mohammad Sadiq is raising a family of extraordinary size. The 57-year-old has 58 children from four wives, and providing for them has become a daily struggle. Sadiq says he sometimes cannot remember all his children’s names. He often addresses them simply as “son” and makes a point of counting them every night before going to sleep to ensure that everyone is accounted for. His youngest child was born only a few weeks ago. Over the years, the family has also lost 14 children, according to the account provided. Despite the challenges, Sadiq says he continues to work to provide food and meet his family’s basic needs.

‘Sometimes One Child Is Missing From the Count’

Sadiq recalls an evening when the family was gathered around the dining cloth for a meal. As he counted his children, he realised that one was missing. He says he did not even know whether the absent child was a boy or a girl. He asked the children’s mothers and eventually learned that one child had been sent to a grandmother’s house to spend the night. He also recalls an incident during one of his daughters’ marriage ceremonies when the religious official conducting the marriage asked him for her name. Sadiq says he hesitated and mistakenly gave the name of another daughter. The official reportedly laughed and suggested that he check at home to make sure he had provided the correct name. Sadiq says the younger children often gather around him, filling the house with so much noise and laughter that it feels as though a wedding celebration is taking place.

Four Wives and the Burden of a Large Family

Sadiq says he married for the first time when he was 20. According to the account, his four wives were between 13 and 16 years old when they married. Asked by the BBC about the marriages, he said he had to spend years saving money for each wedding to pay tawyana, a payment traditionally given to the bride’s family in the context he described. Sadiq says his desire to have many children was driven by his wish to increase the Muslim community. However, raising such a large family has placed considerable demands on his wives, who have faced years of pregnancy, childbirth and childcare alongside the family’s financial difficulties.

Two Meals a Day and Children Who Sometimes Go Hungry

Sadiq works at a car showroom, where he says he receives a commission of 1,000 Afghanis when a vehicle is sold. He says this income is not enough to cover the needs of his family. Food is generally prepared twice a day, in the morning and evening, with two of the women in the household responsible for cooking. Poverty sometimes becomes so severe that some children have to go to bed hungry. Several of Sadiq’s children also work to help support the household. Some collect paper, plastic and other discarded materials that can be used as fuel or sold to contribute towards household expenses.

For the family, securing enough food each day remains one of the most pressing challenges.

Six or Seven People Share a Thin Blanket

The family’s living conditions reflect the extent of its financial hardship.During winter, family members eat together inside the rooms, while in summer they gather in the courtyard. On cold nights, six or seven people sometimes share a single thin blanket. The family sleeps on simple mattresses and has few other household comforts. The rooms reportedly have no windows or proper doors, with thin curtains covering the entrances. The space used for bathing is also used for washing clothes and dishes and serves as a toilet, highlighting the household’s limited access to basic sanitation facilities. For fuel, the family often burns paper and other materials it can find.

Education Remains a Major Hope

Sadiq says he never received an education himself but has tried to send his children to school. However, the cost of education is difficult to manage when the family struggles to afford food and other essentials. With so many children to support, even basic expenses place significant pressure on the household budget. Sadiq is appealing to the government, aid organisations and people who can afford to help, hoping to secure better living conditions and meet his children’s basic needs.

Early Marriage and Maternal Health Concerns

Health experts warn that pregnancy during adolescence can increase health risks for both mothers and newborns. Repeated pregnancies can also expose women to additional medical complications. Afghanistan continues to face significant maternal health challenges, particularly in rural and remote areas where access to quality healthcare is limited. The account of Sadiq’s family highlights the intersection of early marriage, repeated pregnancies, child loss and economic hardship. These issues can place substantial physical, emotional and financial pressure on families, particularly when healthcare and other essential services are difficult to access.

‘I Want My Children to Never Go to Bed Hungry’

Despite the difficulties, Sadiq says he has two main wishes for his children. “My first wish is that my children receive an education and learn about religion and the world. My second is that they never have to go to bed hungry and always have enough to eat,” he says. For Sadiq, supporting 58 children means facing the same urgent questions every day: how to secure enough food, provide adequate shelter and give his children opportunities for a better future. His hopes remain simple — that his children can learn, live with dignity and have enough to eat.

Source credit: BBC News Urdu