Short answer. Yes. The Civil Code expressly gives a third person who provides support to a child whose parent unjustly refuses to do so the right to seek reimbursement from that parent. The key word is unjustly — an inability to pay is different from a refusal to pay.
What the law says
any third person may furnish support to the needy individual, with right of reimbursement from the person obliged to give support
Civil Code, Article 2166 — Support Given to an Orphan or Insane Person. Read the full provision →
The rule: third-party support creates a right to reimbursement
Article 2166 of the Civil Code provides that when the person legally obliged to provide support unjustly refuses to do so, any third person may furnish support to the needy individual, with right of reimbursement from the person obliged to give support. The article then makes clear this applies specifically when the father or mother of a child under eighteen years of age unjustly refuses to support him. If you have been feeding and clothing a child whose parent is willfully withholding support, you are not doing so as a volunteer without remedy — the law gives you the right to recover what you spent.
Unjust refusal, not mere inability
The right to reimbursement arises only when the parent unjustly refuses — not when they are simply unable to pay. A parent who genuinely lacks the means to provide support is in a different legal position from one who has resources but withholds them. If the parent is genuinely insolvent, recovering from them may be difficult or impossible regardless of what the law says. The practical value of this provision is strongest when the refusing parent has means and is simply choosing not to use them for the child's benefit.
Who can step in
The article says any third person may furnish support — it does not limit the right to relatives or to people with a formal relationship to the child. A neighbor, a godparent, a family friend, or any other person who steps in to cover the child's basic needs may invoke this right. What matters is that the support was actually furnished and that it covered what the child genuinely needed — not that the person providing it had a particular connection to the family. The obligation to reimburse runs to whoever actually provided the support.
What to document
To enforce the right of reimbursement, you will need to show both that the parent unjustly refused to give support and that you actually spent money caring for the child. Keep receipts, records of what you purchased or paid for, and any communications with the parent showing that you asked them to provide support and they refused. The clearer and more complete your records, the stronger your claim. The amount recoverable is what was actually and reasonably spent on the child's needs — food, clothing, shelter, medicine — not a notional figure.