A Sudanese refugee in Egypt said: “I can only afford to put three of my six children in school. Instead of continuing his education, my eldest watches his younger siblings whenever I work. No child should have to do this, but what choice do I have?”
Date: 4/26
Region: Africa
Country: Egypt
Topic: Refugees & Displacement, Education
Policy Lens: Migration & Mobility
Entry Type: Field Observation
Additional Context: This quote is attributed to Nawal, a widowed Sudanese mother of six living in Cairo, who works part-time and recieves 1,520 Egyptian pounds (around $28) per month from the United Nations Refugee Agency, or UNHCR, to supplement her income. These tradeoffs are, according to the organization, a familiar dilemma among Sudanese refugees facing extreme scarcity.
UNHCR, warns that 10,000 Sudanese refugee families in Egypt have been cut off from cash assistance between January and March 2026 due to funding cuts, with a further 10,000 at risk in April if no new funding enters the organization. As of April 2026, only 2% of the year's cash assistance requirements have been met.
Devex Researcher Note: Funds entering Egypt through the Sudanese Refugee response have dropped sharply between 2024 and 2026, from $168.9 million to $18.9 million. U.S. funding cuts make up for about 55% of this decrease. As of April 2026, UNHCR notes the funding gap in Egypt is at 77%, or $103.4 million. According to the latest vulnerability assessment, 65% of refugee households in Egypt are unable to meet their basic needs without support.
Source: UNHCR