A family of seven huddles in a Kabul hotel, desperate to escape to Canada — just one family out of thousands that are still waiting for a way out.

“My small baby son, see?” The father of the family told CTV News. “We live in this room, this is winter, we don’t have anything no heater, see we live in this room.”

Prior to the Taliban takeover last summer, he was a merchant, working with the Canadian Armed Forces on the base in Kandahar. Now, he and his family fear Taliban retribution.

He says he received a VISA from Ottawa more than four months ago, as the chaotic pullout of U.S. forces unfolded and the Taliban regained control.

World powers, including Canada, pledged to help allies and the most vulnerable.

But now he, and tens of thousands more, are still trapped, some with no passport, many with very little money.

This, as a humanitarian crisis worsens in the country, aggravated by the sudden withdrawal of foreign aid after the Taliban takeover.

Restrictions have eased and the UN made an urgent appeal for $5 billion. Canada has pledged $56 million for this year.

Complicating the process of getting help to those who need it is that on Wednesday, the Taliban said it wanted a greater role in aid distribution — but the UN has promised it will not fall into the regime’s hands.

The needs of people are so great, destitute families are making desperate choices.

Ghulam Hazrat sold his kidney after he tried to flee to Iran in search of a job, but was forced to return to his home village to feed his children, he says.

Doctors have warned of the long term health risks of the growing practice.

But there are still organizations in Canada that are working to keep the plight of Afghans in the spotlight.

“We can’t forget [the] debt we owe to these Afghans,” Tim Laidler, founder and president of Veterans Transition Network, told CTV News.

Laidler served in Afghanistan, and has worked relentlessly for months with other veterans to bring former Afghan interpreters out.

“We are working more closely with government and we understand how complex this issue is,” he said. "That being said, we still want more to be done.”

Laidler says it is no time for Canada to turn away.

The government needs to fulfill its promise of getting 40,000 Afghans to this country safely, he said — but so far, only about 6,500 have landed. 

With files from CTVNews.ca's Alexandra Mae Jones