• Read the summary and statistics of the Estonian Refugee Council 2022!
• Listen to our podcast, Eksiilium, with recordings from Eastern Ukraine. Warning: Air raid sirens and bomb warning sounds are used in the show.Inside Ukraine, we are the largest international humanitarian aid organization (besides the United Nations) that provides multi-purpose cash assistance. We have supported about 200,000 people with over 31 million euros. You can learn more about cash-based aid in the animation.
• We restarted the food distribution program in areas where cash-based assistance is impossible (e.g., de-occupied/liberated areas, areas under frequent attacks). The value of one food basket is around 57 euros.
• We started providing support for the purchase of solid fuels to Ukrainian refugees in Georgia and those in need inside Ukraine
• We brought a methodology called MindSpring to Estonia in partnership with the NGO Peaasjad, which supports the adaptation of people with a refugee background in a new environment. We are going to offer the program to refugees all over Estonia.
• Vaimse tervise suunal tõime oostöös MTÜ-ga Peaasjad Eestisse MindSpring nimelise metoodika, mis toetab pagulastaustaga inimeste kohanemist uues keskkonnas. Hakkame programmi pakkuma pagulastele üle Eesti.Humanitarian aid in Ukraine

What are we doing?

• Implementing multi-purpose cash assistance so people can decide what they need the most. As of now, we have supported about 200 000 people. We have mediated around 31 million euros in cash-based support (Estonian donors + WFP + OCHA + IRC). The assistance amount is 2220 UAH (= according to the new rate, about 58 EUR) per household member per month. There is a separate application platform for multi-purpose cash assistance in Ukraine: https://register.pagulasabi.ee/
• We started implementing multi-purpose cash assistance to purchase solid fuels (firewood, coal, etc.) for Ukrainian refugees in Georgia and those in need inside Ukraine. We estimate that we will reach 700 vulnerable households in Ukraine and 250 in Georgia. The target areas are primarily Kharkiv, Luhansk, Donetsk, Zaporizhzhia, Kherson, Mykolaiv, Odesa, Sumy, and Chernihiv regions in Ukraine, only areas under the control of the Ukrainian government, and in Georgia, primarily Tbilisi and its surroundings. The amount of support given to the household depends on the fuel type, but the average amount is 414 EUR; in Georgia, the average amount is 370 EUR per household.
• We restarted the food distribution program in areas where cash-based assistance is impossible (e.g., de-occupied/liberated regions and areas under frequent attacks). The value of one food basket is around 57 euros.
• We are collecting money for generators in hospitals and schools in Eastern Ukraine. Charity products can be purchased here: https://www.pagulasabi.ee/en/give-spark-hedgehog
• Our on-site call center in Ukraine receives approximately 50 000 calls. It serves around 700 people daily, advising and sharing information on support options, pre-selecting our multi-purpose cash assistance beneficiaries, and referring people to other programs as needed.
• Supporting hospitals in Eastern Ukraine with medical supplies, food, and other necessities (e.g., generators).
• Handed out 2900 blankets, 4600 sleeping bags, and other essentials to the people in bomb shelters and IDP accommodations.
• We are part of the Joint Market Monitoring Initiative (JMMI), under which we help the humanitarian sector maintain a consistent overview of how and where in Ukraine markets are operating, whether and how immediate necessities prices are rising, and so on. Our areas of responsibility are the Zaporizhia and Kharkiv oblasts. 

In addition to the support of Estonian donors, we also carry out cash-based assistance with international partners:

• With funding from the European Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid Operations (ECHO), we support 32,190 people in Luhansk, Donetsk, Zaporizhzhia, Kherson, and Kharkiv regions.
• With funding from the Ukraine Humanitarian Fund managed by the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), within three months, we will provide cash-based assistance to 12 000 people in the Zaporizhia and Donetsk oblasts.
• With the funding of the International Rescue Committee (IRC) 24 000 people in Kharkiv, Sumy, Chernihiv, Kyiv, Luhansk, Donetsk, Zaporizhia, Kherson, and Mykolaiv regions will receive 3-month cash support.
• With the World Food Programme (WFP), we support 60 500 people in the Kyiv, Kharkiv, Sumy, and Chernihiv oblasts with multi-purpose cash assistance.

Supporting Ukrainian refugees in Estonia

What are we doing?

• The Estonian Refugee Council’s counseling center in Tallinn (Liivalaia 28) continues to counsel refugees and their loved ones from Tuesday to Thursday (from 10-17). An information hotline is open for Ukrainian refugees and people helping them: +372 5881 1311 (workdays from 10 am to 5 pm); also e-mail: dopomoha@pagulasabi.ee. Viber, Whatsapp, and Telegram channels are also open for advice at +372 5464 0007.
• The most critical information for refugees can be found in our website's Frequently Asked Questions section. We update the information in Estonian, English, Russian, and Ukrainian sections. 
• We mediate accommodation offers from our database. Of all the recommendations, we have already reconciled around 1000 households. Due to the shortage of accommodation places, we currently do not provide long-term accommodation in public facilities managed by the Social Insurance Board. We focus on providing emergency accommodation to those Ukrainians who have suddenly lost their place of residence. We are again collecting housing offers from private individuals (primarily in Tallinn, Tartu, and other larger cities). Fill out the application on our website. 
• We offer various group counseling for Ukrainians on four topics: adaptation, labor market, digital skills, and children's adaptation. Already 189 digital skills, 122 adaptation, 113 child's adaptation workshops, and 47 work-related group counselings have taken place around Estonia , and over 3053 Ukrainian refugees have participated. We conduct group counseling together with our good partners: BCS koolitus, MTÜ Igale Lapsele Pere, Töötukassa, and Tööinspektsioon.
• We offer support groups led by psychotherapists in Tallinn and Maardu. To register for the group, call the Tallinn Psychological Crisis Center on 631 4300 (Mon-Fri 9-19, Sat 10-15).  
• We are paying school support to all refugee children going to school in Estonia. Currently, the support has been paid to 4646 children, in the total amount of 232 200 euros. 
• Together with Garaž48, we help Ukrainian women to start micro-enterprises in Estonia. The best women's teams in the entrepreneurship program have been selected; the participants are being counseled and supported.
• We brought a methodology called MindSpring to Estonia in partnership with the NGO Peaasjad, which supports the adaptation of people with a refugee background in a new environment. We are going to offer the program to refugees all over Estonia.

Estonian Refugee Council's activities in Ukraine are financed by donations from individuals and companies and by various institutional donors. Donations for the Estonian Refugee Council can be made on our donation  and For Ukraine campaign pages and For Ukraine campaign page.

Photo: ACTED

Estonian Refugee Council is a non-profit association founded in 2000 and operating in the public interest to stand up for the rights and well-being of refugees in Estonia and abroad. Estonian Refugee Council is a humanitarian aid organization certified by the European Union. In Eastern Ukraine, Refugee Council has been providing humanitarian aid since 2014.