The ongoing war and instability in Afghanistan - even after the fleeting glimpse of peace, development and prosperity that followed 9/11 and the international community's efforts to crush the Taliban regime, together with the promises of bringing democracy and rebuilding to this war-torn nation - continues to diminish the hopes of the Afghan people. They do not want pity for their struggle under the crushing burden of war and poverty. Instead they aspire to and deserve an honest and representative view of and into their daily lives; and of the consequences effected by this endless conflict of interests, by the ongoing struggle for money, power, and overall control. Far too much of the recent media coverage of the region has focused on the 'war on terror', preoccupied with convincing the international public of the necessity of maintaining foreign troops on the ground in Afghanistan in order to ensure their safety back home. Stories on the lives of ordinary Afghans are rare and have received scant media coverage, particularly in the past few years when it has become increasingly apparent that the international community's policies in Afghanistan are failing. However, their stories deserve to be both told and seen in order to remind us what the real images of war and poverty - of lives far from ordinary - look like.