• Today is World Refugee Day. According to a report by the UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency at the end of 2021, there are almost 90 million displaced people in the world. Given this year's wars, crises and difficult situations in Ukraine, Afghanistan, Venezuela, Ethiopia, Syria and elsewhere in the world, that number is over 100 million today. That is more than twice as many as ten years ago. This means that 1 in 78 people on earth has been forced to leave their homes. Today, from 17:00 to 19:00 in Tallinn, the Estonian Refugee Council will distribute musical records on the Telliskivi Loomelinnak Square. On the records eight foreigners who have arrived here are singing their migration stories. In addition, you can take the book "Stories from here and there", where refugees and people with a migrant background tell their stories to raise awareness of being a refugee.
• Over the weekend, we distributed more than 300 food parcels in the villages of the previously occupied Kiev oblasts, where the markets do not operate yet. We will continue the food distribution program this week as well.
• The most important information for refugees can be found in the Frequently Asked Questions section of our website: https://www.pagulasabi.ee/en/general 

Humanitarian aid in Ukraine

What we are doing? ​

• Implementing multi-purpose cash assistance so people can decide themselves what they need the most. As of now, we have supported 36 893 households (about 110 000 people). In total, we have mediated over 17 million euros cash based support (Estonian donors + WFP + OCHA + IRC). The assistance amount is 2220 UAH (= about 70 EUR) per household member per month.
• We opened a separate application platform for multi-purpose cash assistance in Ukraine: https://register.pagulasabi.ee/
• Our on-site call center in Ukraine serves approximately 1500 people per day, advising and sharing information on support options, pre-selecting our own multi-purpose cash assistance beneficiaries and referring people to other programmes as needed.
• Supporting hospitals in Eastern Ukraine with medical supplies, food and other necessities (e.g. generators).
• Handed out 900 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 fast basic necessities prices are rising, and so on. Our area of responsibility are the Zaporizhia and Kharkiv oblasts.
• We are conducting a food distribution program in the liberated areas of the Kiev oblast, where markets are not yet operational. One food package that meets international standards lasts for two weeks. Over the weekend (18.06) we distributed more than 300 food parcels in the villages of Yasnogorodka, Pylyava, Bogdani and Ritny, the next distribution round will take place on Thursday, June 23.​

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

• With the World Food Programme (WFP) we support 60 500 people in the Kiev, Kharkiv, Sumy and Chernihiv oblasts with multi-purpose cash assistance.
• With the funding from the Ukraine Humanitarian Fund managed by the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) we will within three months provide cash-based assistance in total to 12 000 people in the Zaporizhia and Donetsk oblasts.
• With the funding of  International Rescue Committee (IRC) 21 000 people in Kharkiv, Sumy, Chernihiv, Kiev, Luhansk, Donetsk, Zaporizhia, Kherson and Mykolaiv regions will receive 3-month cash support.

Supporting Ukrainian refugees in Estonia

What we are doing?​

• The Estonian Refugee Council’s counselling center in Tallinn (Liivalaia 28) continues to counsel both refugees and their loved ones every workday. An information hotline is open for Ukrainian refugees and people helping them: +372 5881 1311 (every day from 10 am to 5 pm); also e-mail: dopomoha@pagulasabi.ee.
• The most important information for refugees can be found in the Frequently Asked Questions section of our website: https://www.pagulasabi.ee/en/general
• We mediate accomondation offers from our database. Of all the offers, we have already mediated 930 households. Upload your accommodations to special Kinnisvara24 portal. 
• We have started various group counselling’s for Ukrainians on four different topics: adaptation, labour market, digital skills and children's adaptation. Already 28 digital skills, 38 adaptation and 12 child's adaptation workshops have taken place in Tallinn, Tartu, Pärnu, Rakvere, Narva, Keila, Haapsalu, Otepää and Tapa and close to 500 Ukrainian refugees have participated.
• We offer support groups led by psychotherapists. To register for the group, call the Tallinn Psychological Crisis Center on 631 4300 (Mon-Fri 9-19, Sat 10-15). We will soon open a support group in Maardu.
• We are paying school support to all refugee children going to school in Estonia. Currently 1643 applications have been received and support has been paid based on 1451 applications to 1931 children, in total amount of 96 550 euros. The remaining applications are being checked and verified.
• We are organizing one city camp and four overnight camps for children aged 7-18. The city camp "Me and my secret self" will take place on Mondays and Fridays in the Tallinn office of Refugee Council in July. The city camp will be run by Anrike Piel, an employee of the Estonian Refugee Council and a multidisciplinary artist. Overnight camps "Adventure summer in the countryside" will take place on July 15-18, July 31- August 3 and August 22-26 at Topu Holiday Center. August 19-24, in cooperation with the Child Welfare Association in Remnik Holiday Center. We accept up to 150 children with refugee backgrounds in the camps.

Donations and use of donations

• Over 5,3 million euros has accumulated in donations for the Refugee Council, including targeted donations made for organizing evacuations and donations for activities in Estonia. Within May, 2,3 million euros has already been spent on giving humanitarian aid in Ukraine and 555 000 euros on evacuations. We have paid out school supports in the total amount of 96 550 euros. 
• Donations for the Estonian the Refugee Council can be made on our donation page and For Ukraine campaign page.

All our financial reports are audited annually. If you want more detailed information, please send an inquiry to info@pagulasabi.ee.

In addition

• ​More about school support
• More about group counselling
• How the money from Estonian donors helps to save lives in Ukraine
• Eero Janson: People in Ukraine need money, not things
• How we organized evacuations for over a month
• Story about Estonian woman who opened her home to refugees
• More about the cooperation with the World Food Programme (WFP)
• Anu Viltrop: not every helper is a supporter and not every supporter is a friend

Estonian Refugee Council is a non-profit association founded in 2000 and operating in the public interest, with the aim of standing 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.

Foto: Hlib Stoiko, distribution of food parcels in the villages of the previously occupied Kiev oblasts