About 850,000 Sudanese now live in Egypt, having escaped the brutal conflict in their homeland that recently entered its fourth year.
Naval is also included in these*A mother and widow is struggling to provide for the basic needs of her six children, who are not getting enough food – the youngest of whom is constantly ill.
Supporting refugees and asylum seekers
unhcr Egypt assists Sudanese arrivals through a number of services, including government-delegated registration and refugee status determination. unhcr Egyptian spokesperson Christine Beshay said united nations news.
The agency provides protection services as well as health, education, child and psychological support, in addition to cash assistance for the most needy families, including Nawal.
Sudanese refugees waiting at a UNHCR registration center in Cairo, Egypt.
But this support to refugees and asylum seekers is under threat from what Ms Beshay described as a serious funding shortfall – not only because of recent changes in funding reaching humanitarian and development agencies, but also because the total number of refugees in Egypt has increased from 300,000 three years ago to more than 1.1 million.
reduction in funding
In 2025, funding levels remain roughly the same as in 2022 – that is, before the outbreak of the Sudan crisis.
“The share of funding available to each refugee has dropped from $11 a month to just $4,” Ms Beshay said.
“The amount of $11 was already insufficient to meet all the needs of refugees, and so, with the doubling of the number of refugees and the reduction of funds, the support we provide has been reduced.”
Threatened to suspend the program
Nawal and other beneficiaries of UNHCR’s cash assistance program receive about 1,530 Egyptian pounds (about $29) per month. She also works part-time.
Still, this is not enough, as Nawal has had to enroll only three of her children in school, while her elder son has dropped out of school to take care of his siblings while she is at work.
Ms Beshay said that UNHCR often prefers to provide cash assistance to refugee families, allowing them to respectfully choose how to meet their needs, whether it is paying for rent, food, education or health.
A Sudanese refugee receives cash aid provided by UNHCR in Egypt.
Fewer families are being helped
The cash assistance program had received only two percent of the required funds, he cautioned, reducing the number of beneficiary families by “more than half.”
Additionally, “there have been threats to close the program if we don’t get additional support in the next few weeks,” he said.
“The majority of households receiving cash assistance are headed by a woman, and these households typically have school-going children.
“So, when this support stops, the mother is forced to make a very difficult decision: whether to feed her children or send them to school,” she said.
“Also, when such a family with school-going children has only one earner – the mother – she cannot do regular work to provide a steady income for the family.”
Training and job opportunities
UNHCR is working with various entities to provide refugee assistance.
“We have seen something positive recently with regard to the private sector, as companies have started to provide support through their social responsibility, whether through training or by providing job opportunities,” he said.
This opens up “new horizons” for refugees and asylum seekers to learn new skills that can be used at home “when they have the opportunity to return in a safe and dignified way,” Ms Beshay said.
*Only Naval’s first name is being used to protect his identity.
