Its guiding philosophy can be summarised as: refugees have the skills, capacity and agency to stand on their own and be able to sustain themselves without depending on external humanitarian aid. This concept has been universally embraced by policy-makers and aid agencies and has now become an increasingly visible part in refugee assistance and protection programmes worldwide.
But on the ground, what does it really mean for refugees to attain self-reliance?
While many policies have committed rhetorically to the importance of ‘helping refugees help themselves’, some fundamental questions remain unanswered.
