US aid cuts push Yemeni children into begging

In a makeshift camp located in Yemen's mountainous Taiz province, Ahmed Ghalib, in his 60s, lives with his wife and four children. He fled his home in 2018, leaving everything behind, and has since depended on humanitarian aid for basic services.

"Back home, I could work in farms or the market, but here in displacement, there are no job opportunities. Humanitarian aid is our main resource," he told Middle East Eye.

But when the United States imposed a 90-day ban on all foreign aid in January, the future for Ghalib, and millions of Yemenis like him, was thrown into deeper uncertainty as the already scarce support they rely on now hangs in the balance.

Ghalib said that for years they had received shelter, water tanks, food baskets and cash assistance from humanitarian organisations. However, earlier this year, the water supply to the camp was disrupted, and cash assistance was suspended.

"The cash assistance significantly reduced my suffering, enabling me to buy food, medicine and other essentials," he added. "I am an old man with four children to support. Who else can help us if not these organisations?"

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According to the United Nations, 19.5 million Yemenis – more than half the population – including 4.5 million displaced people, are in need of humanitarian aid.

Last year, the US funded 33.8 percent of the Yemen Humanitarian Response Plan, amounting to over $795m. Additionally, Yemen received over $700m in 2023 and over $1bn in 2022.

Following the US aid freeze, a number of humanitarian organisations were forced to terminate cash assistance programmes and other services.

While the Trump administration reversed food aid cuts in some countries last week, the ban remains in place for Yemen and Afghanistan. 

Begging or working

Describing the situation after the aid cuts, Ghalib said: "We had no solution but to send our children to beg in markets, and those who could work, did. Early in the morning, you can see children going in groups, either to beg or to work in several markets."

He added that those who felt ashamed went to beg in far away markets to avoid being recognised by neighbours and relatives.

"Sometimes, when what the children earned wasn't enough, I would go myself to beg for leftovers from restaurants," he said. "We are forced to choose between begging and starving to death."

Elsewhere in the camp, a 10-year-old displaced boy had started attending a nearby school and was beginning to enjoy his studies - until his dreams were abruptly interrupted.

"My dream is to become a teacher so I can help all children learn, especially those who can't afford it," Mohammed Abdullah told MEE.

"But it seems I can't achieve my dream because my father's income is insufficient to support the family, and we no longer receive help from organisations, so I had to resort to working."

'We are forced to choose between begging and starving to death'

- Ahmed Ghalib

Abdullah works on the qat farms near the camp, earning 1,500 Yemeni rials (less than $1) per day, barely enough for one meal for his seven family members. He also collects and sells empty plastic bags to recycling factories.

"My income covers only dinner, and my siblings are responsible for lunch," he said. "I prefer to work rather than beg, but if there is no work and no food at home, I'm forced to beg."

Abdullah, unaware of the US aid cuts, hopes that humanitarian organisations will resume providing food and cash assistance so he can return to school.

Abdullah's mother is worried about her son whenever he works on the qat farms or begs in the market. "Sometimes, he's insulted in the market because he has to beg," she told MEE. "These days are worse than when we fled our homes; we're losing our dignity just to survive."

She added that all they need is a monthly food basket. "If we have enough to eat, we can maintain our dignity and won't have to send our children to beg."

A generation learning to beg

A humanitarian worker, speaking on condition of anonymity, told MEE: "I receive dozens of calls every day from beneficiaries, asking when aid distributions will resume, but we can't help them."

He admitted to turning off his phone at times, overwhelmed by the constant messages from people describing their desperate situations and pleading for help he couldn't give.

'I prefer to work rather than beg, but if there is no work and no food at home, I'm forced to beg'

- Mohammed Abdallah, 10

"Many families have been forced to take desperate measures. I know some who send their children to beg, and many who survive on just one meal a day," he said. "It's heartbreaking to see children only having a single meal daily." 

He said that the US funding played a crucial role in alleviating the suffering of Yemenis in recent years, and its sudden loss has only deepened their hardship.

"During the intense conflict in the early years of the war, the humanitarian response plan was well funded, enabling us to support millions. But today, Yemen faces its worst scenario due to the economic crisis and funding cuts," he added.

He said that many of his colleagues in the humanitarian sector have lost their jobs due to the US funding cuts and are struggling to find alternative employment.

"The impact isn't limited to aid recipients; it also affects humanitarian workers who suddenly lost their salaries," he added. "If the US funding cuts continue, the coming year will be even worse."

Amnesty International warned on Thursday that US President Donald Trump's aid cuts would put millions of Yemenis at risk, with malnutrition and hunger set to soar.

"The abrupt and irresponsible cuts in US aid will have catastrophic consequences on Yemen's most vulnerable and marginalised groups," Diala Haidar, Amnesty International’s Yemen researcher, said.

"Unless the US immediately reinstates sufficient funding for lifesaving aid to Yemen and ensures the money is disbursed expeditiously, an already devastating humanitarian situation will further deteriorate, and millions of people in Yemen are going to be left without desperately needed support."

For Ghalib, the return of aid will not only save his family from hunger but will allow his children to go to school instead of the streets every morning.

"Our sorrow isn't for ourselves, but for our children," he said.

"We're watching a generation grow up learning the skills of begging and hard labour, instead of receiving a proper education."

middleeasteye.net