Supporting Self-Reliance for Displaced and Host Populations: Insights from the Self-Reliance Index Across 16 Countries

This paper, co-authored by WRC’s Kellie Leeson with colleagues from our partner, the Refugee Self-Reliance Initiative, examines household-level patterns of self-reliance among forcibly displaced and host populations using the Self-Reliance Index (SRI). It also identifies opportunities for strengthening humanitarian programming, policy frameworks and service delivery systems that support sustainable well-being.

The study finds that while both camp and non-camp households relied heavily on external aid, non-camp households showed improvements in self-reliance over time—particularly in employment, financial resources, and savings—while camp-based households showed minimal gains.