Pathways to self-reliance: a pilot trial of an integrated livelihoods and psychosocial program for displaced women in Colombia.

Forcibly displaced women face intersecting economic and psychosocial risks, yet few rigorously evaluated programs address both simultaneously. This pilot aimed to examine the preliminary feasibility and effects of the Entrepreneurship School with a Gender Lens (ESGL), an 8-9-month hybrid program combining business training, seed capital, and mental health and psychosocial support, could promote self-reliance among forcibly displaced women who have experienced or are at risk of gender-based violence (GBV). This pilot randomized controlled trial (RCT) was conducted with 253 Venezuelan and Colombian women living in Colombia. Eligible participants scored between 2 and 4.25 on the Self-Reliance Index (SRI) and were randomly assigned in a 2:1 ratio to the intervention (n = 175) or control (n = 78) group. The intervention included seven group workshops, one individual counselling session, and post-training business plan presentations for seed capital. Outcomes measured at baseline in March 2024 and at 8-9-month follow-up in December 2024 included overall and domain-specific self-reliance (SRI), depressive symptoms measured with the Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9), and resilience measured with the Brief Resilient Coping Scale (BRCS). Analyses used intent-to-treat (ITT) and instrumental variable (IV) regression models controlling for baseline scores and key covariates. 211 out of 253 participants completed both assessments (146 intervention, 65 control). At baseline in March 2024, mean SRI was 3.27 (SD 0.54) in the intervention group and 3.25 (SD 0.52) in the control group. At endline in December 2024, assignment to the intervention was associated with statistically significant positive changes in overall self-reliance (B = 0.195, CI 0.026-0.364; p < 0.05) and in the domains of food security, employment, and debt. Effects were stronger among participants who completed the program and received seed capital. No statistically significant effects were observed for depressive symptoms or resilience. ESGL shows preliminary promise in maintaining or improving economic self-reliance among forcibly displaced women in urban Colombia. A fully powered RCT is needed to confirm these initial findings and examine potential mental health effects. Future research should also assess longer-term impacts and optimize delivery in urban humanitarian contexts.