# Iran war fuel costs force Cambodian children out of school 2026-08-17T06:13:09+00:00 | World & Diplomacy | Indian Opinion Desk Corroboration: 1 independent outlet Sou Sreynich, 13, from a floating village on Cambodia's Tonle Sap lake, started school at age 10 because her mother feared the boat ride. Now, soaring gasoline prices due to the Iran war mean her fishing family cannot afford fuel for deeper waters, forcing her to skip school days to work. Teachers say 10 students have drowned on the lake over the years, and climate change worsens floods and droughts. The United Nations Children's Fund reports the war could push up to 23.4 million more children into poverty by year-end, with 80% in Africa and Asia. In Vietnam, sisters Ly, 16, and Nhi, 13, dropped out to work in a Hanoi restaurant after their father lost his fishing job when diesel prices spiked. The nonprofit Blue Dragon Children's Foundation helped them return to school in April. Higher fuel costs are driving up expenses for transport, supplies, and electricity for schools. Developing countries reliant on imported energy are hit hardest. Education Above All Foundation warns the war may force millions of children out of school or prevent them from enrolling at all. ## Coverage - economictimes.indiatimes.com This story was synthesised by AI from the source linked above. Tags: Cambodia, Iran war, Tonle Sap, UNICEF, Vietnam Canonical: https://indianopinion.org/iran-war-fuel-costs-force-cambodian-children-out-of-school/ License: Summary and commentary (c) Indian Opinion, reusable with attribution. Facts belong to the linked sources. Cite: https://indianopinion.org/iran-war-fuel-costs-force-cambodian-children-out-of-school/#story-in-brief Review state: restored archive article, accurate at time of publication, not offered to search indexes. How this brief was made: an AI model read the report linked above and wrote this summary and analysis, which were published automatically. Published briefs are sampled every hour by an automated quality check; the editor verifies its findings and approves corrections, and corrected briefs carry a dated correction line. We do no original reporting. Methodology: https://indianopinion.org/ai-use-policy/