Yemen's economic crisis pushes children out of classrooms
In Yemen, many families are so financially strained that they are pulling children out of school to work. UNICEF estimates 3.2 million children are out of school this year, up from 1.8 million in 2015. One 11-year-old girl, Hasnaa Jaber, collects plastic bottles instead of attending classes.
The economic collapse in Yemen has drastically reduced school attendance, with UNICEF reporting a jump from 1.8 million out-of-school children in 2015 to 3.2 million currently. Hasnaa Jaber's family, displaced by the conflict, relies on her daily earnings of roughly one dollar from selling scavenged plastic bottles to supplement her father's car-washing income.
Her father, Jaber Ali, explains that basic survival now outweighs educational costs like books and supplies. While Hasnaa dreams of becoming a teacher and hopes to resume studies next year, her family's immediate struggle for food keeps her and two brothers out of the classroom, with only her youngest sibling still enrolled.
This trend could deepen Yemen's long-term socioeconomic instability, as a generation of children missing basic education may face severely limited future employment prospects. Families already displaced by war could become further entrenched in poverty, perpetuating a cycle of child labor. The rising dropout rate may also strain future civic recovery efforts, as the country's ability to rebuild its workforce and institutions depends heavily on educated youth. Without intervention, these children could remain marginalized.