Every morning on Cambodia's Tonlé Sap lake, a small motorboat weaves between stilted houses to pick up children in crisp uniforms for school. But that journey is becoming tougher than ever as fuel prices soar.
Sou Sreynich, 13, is one of the students on that boat. She only started school at age 10 because her mother feared the trip across the vast freshwater lake was too dangerous. Now, skyrocketing fuel prices—spurred by the US and Israeli war against Iran—are making her schooling and education increasingly precarious.
For families already struggling in the area, the impact of conflict is less visible than school closures during COVID-19, but it hits the poorest hardest and fastest. Higher fuel costs make it harder for children and teachers to reach school, and they also strain government budgets for education.
On Tonlé Sap, where most families rely on fishing and seasonal work, everything costs more because goods must be transported by boat. Rising fuel prices mean Sreynich's parents can't always afford to reach distant, more abundant fishing grounds. When money runs short, Sreynich has to skip school to process fish or pick chilies for extra income—something she deeply dreads.
This pressure isn't unique to Cambodia. A recent UNICEF report warns that if the war continues, an additional 23.4 million children could fall into poverty by year's end, with about 80% in Africa and Asia. In Vietnam, two sisters—Ly, 16, and Nhi, 13—had to drop out and work long hours at a Hanoi restaurant after their fisherman father lost his job because diesel became too expensive.
Aid organizations warn that as families face tough financial triage, some children keep attending school while others are pushed into work, leaving millions of vulnerable kids at greater risk of exploitation, trafficking, and hunger.
