Resilient and Self-Reliant Life: South Sudanese Refugees Imagining Futures in the Adjumani Refugee Setting, Uganda

Resilience and self-reliance have become central in humanitarian responses to refugee situations. Based on a two-year longitudinal qualitative study, this article explores how South Sudanese refugee youngsters in Uganda imagine and act towards their futures, and questions what resilience and self-reliance can mean in the temporary space of the refugee camp. Youngsters need to become accustomed to a future without substantial progress, or be ready to play the game of chance. As such, a resilience and self-reliance policy not only reveals the powerlessness of refugee youth, but also the limits of a humanitarian project to seek actual solutions to refugee situations.