In a new article for Refugees Deeply, Evan Easton-Calabria (Researcher, RSC) and Yamini Mookherjee (Research Associate, Foundation for Rural Recovery and Development, New Delhi) examine the concept of refugee self-reliance.
“Today, self-reliance is a key focus in humanitarian and development assistance to refugees,” they write. “But what does self-reliance actually mean?”
Their research has found that there are multiple definitions of self-reliance for refugees, varying depending on the context as well as who defines it. And, they say, “this has important implications for the outcomes of livelihoods and self-reliance programs for refugees.” For example, UNHCR tends to focus on its economic definition, but while livelihoods training is important, such an economic focus can neglect other areas such as strong social networks that refugees see as integral to self-reliance.
Read the article here >>
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