Rising fuel costs from the Iran conflict push poor families to choose work over school

The Iran war’s impact on global fuel markets is hitting the poorest households in Southeast Asia, where rising gasoline prices make daily school commutes unaffordable. In Cambodia’s lake community of Kampong Prahok, 13-year-old Sou Sreynich often skips classes to help her family fish, as higher fuel costs limit access to richer fishing grounds. UNICEF warns that millions of children could slip into poverty, with the bulk of those at risk located in Africa and Asia.

In Vietnam’s northern coast, soaring diesel prices forced a fisherman’s family to send two daughters to work in Hanoi, exposing them to illegal child labor before a nonprofit helped them return to school. Education NGOs say the financial strain forces families to prioritize immediate survival, increasing dropout rates and exposing children to trafficking and homelessness. The higher cost of fuel also inflates expenses for teachers, supplies and aid delivery, while national budgets face tighter constraints on education spending. Experts caution that the combined effect could reverse years of progress in schooling and child nutrition across the developing world.