Extensive aid cuts in many countries are affecting places like Kakuma refugee camp in Kenya, where problems include water access issues and healthcare strain. Samar fled Sudan due to conflict and arrived at a refugee camp in Turkana, Kenya, stricken with cholera. 38% in 2026.
Aid cuts are also occurring in Belgium, Canada, South Korea, the Netherlands, Sweden, and Switzerland. Kenya is bearing an extraordinary share of the burden from the Sudanese crisis, with 311,491 registered refugees in Turkana County alone, where 200 more people arrive each week and 400 births are recorded in the camp every month. Funding to Kenya Red Cross operations has fallen by 54%, causing resource and staff losses, and clinicians at the Kenya Red Cross see between 110 and 200 patients a day, exceeding the WHO recommendation of 50, leading to extended hours and burnout.
Iron supplements for pregnant women have dried up, increasing risks during delivery, and agencies borrow supplies from each other when they run out, hoping the next delivery arrives in time. Joseph, a 14-year-old boy, makes and sells items like backpacks, bags, skirts, and shoes from plastic bottle caps to afford school supplies, as his school no longer provides free school supplies like pens, books, and backpacks.