07/09/2025
How do you measure refugee progress beyond survival?
RefugePoint's Self-Reliance Index is doing just that — and reshaping how humanitarian organizations around the world think about success.
Developed in partnership with the Women's Refugee Commission, the Self-Reliance Index tracks 12 indicators of well-being, from food and shelter to income, safety, and social connection, measuring progress on the path to stabilization and empowerment. This holistic approach to humanitarian response has seen nearly 5,000 refugees successfully “graduate” from dependence on aid. It’s now being used by 70+ organizations across 34 countries, helping them understand and improve how they support refugee households on the path to self-reliance.
In Uganda, we saw it in action. The International Rescue Committee is using the Index in Kampala to test different interventions, like business grants and vocational training, to determine the most effective ones. They then use this information to improve their programs and, in turn, success rates for refugees. In a pilot of one of the best interventions, 50% of refugees reached self-reliance in just one year.
We met one of those participants — a Congolese mother of five who used to sell dried fish on street corners. With a $200 grant, she opened a small shop. That single moment — “a Thursday in July,” she told us — changed everything. Now she has a stable business, a legal workspace, and the ability to care for her children without fear of arrest or instability.
The Self-Reliance Index is one of the most promising, data-driven tools we’ve seen in humanitarian response — allowing organizations to adapt quickly, allocate resources effectively, and invest in what actually moves people from survival to stability.
