Food prices in Afghanistan have soared over the past few months.  People turn to desperate means, digging through rubbish containers in order to feed their families.  Unable to find work, a 40-year-old man sold his 11-year-old daughter for US$2,000.  “For too many days I stood next to roads and asked people for work,” said the man.  “Because I am illiterate, no one will give me a job.”  War and poverty have perpetuated illiteracy.  Schools are slowly becoming a priority again in northern Afghanistan.  However, the pressures of immediate hunger are often too demanding.  Vulnerable is the hope of a generation of formally educated Afghanis.