• We support the most vulnerable Ukrainian refugees who arrived in Georgia: stories
• We started a new entrepreneurship program for women in Ukraine; in total, we support the start of 110 new businesses or support existing ones

Humanitarian aid in Ukraine
 

• We provide multi-purpose cash assistance, with which people can buy food, medicine, hygiene supplies, and other necessities. As of now, we have offered cash-based aid to approximately 200,000 people, worth a total of 31 million euros. The allowance is UAH 2,220 (= about EUR 61) per month per household member. Help is for a total of three months. A separate call center and application platform have been opened for applying for cash-based support in Ukraine: https://register.pagulasabi.ee/
• We provide cash-based support to survive the winter and buy solid fuels for Ukrainian refugees in Georgia and those in need inside Ukraine. It is estimated that by the end of March, we will reach 4,400 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, Tbilisi, and its surroundings. The amount of the subsidy is 14,000 UAH (= about €350 per household in Ukraine and €370 in Georgia).
• We restart the food distribution program in areas where cash-based assistance is impossible (e.g., de-occupied/liberated regions, areas under frequent attacks). We intervene with help in Zaporizhzhia, Donetsk, and Kharkiv regions; we support 12,150 people. The value of one food basket is about 57 euros but may change within small limits, considering the hryvnia's fluctuation.
• We have supported hospitals in Eastern Ukraine with medical supplies, medical equipment, food, generators, and other necessities.
• We have distributed 2,900 blankets, 4,600 sleeping bags, and other essentials to people in bomb shelters and IDP accommodations.
• We are part of the Joint Market Monitoring Initiative (JMMI). We help the humanitarian aid sector keep a constant overview of where and how the markets function in Ukraine, whether and how fast the prices of essential commodities are rising, etc. Our area of responsibility is Zaporizhzhia and Kharkiv Oblasts.
• In cooperation with Garage48, Estonian Refugee Council started another entrepreneurship program aimed at women inside Ukraine. Eighty new business ideas and 30 existing companies are selected for the program, which will receive support for starting or expanding and developing a sustainable and crisis-resistant micro-enterprise. At least 40 individuals or teams selected by the jury will receive a grant of up to UAH 60,000-150,000 with mentoring for six months.

In addition to the support of Estonian donors, we also make financial interventions with international partners:

• With European Union (ECHO) funding, we support 69,080 people in Luhansk, Donetsk, Zaporizhzhia, Kherson, Kharkiv, Chernihiv, Sumy, Mykolaiv, and Odesa regions.
• We support 20,500 people in Zaporizhzhia, Donetsk, Poltava, Cherkasy, Kirovohrad, Chernihiv, Sumy, Mykolaiv, and Odesa regions with funding from the Ukraine Humanitarian Aid Fund managed by the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA).
• With funding from the International Rescue Committee (IRC), we supported 24,000 people in Kharkiv, Sumy, Chernihiv, Kyiv, Luhansk, Donetsk, Zaporizhzhia, Kherson, Odesa, and Mykolaiv regions.
• With the World Food Program (WFP), we supported 60,500 people in Kyiv, Kharkiv, Sumy, and Chernihiv regions with a cash-based intervention.

Supporting Ukrainian refugees in Estonia
 

• We counsel people in Tallinn (Liivalaia 28, Estonian Refugee Council's office) from Tuesday to Thursday (10 am-5 pm). The helpline +372 5881 1311 (open Mon-Fri from 10 am to 5 pm) and e-mail dopomoha@pagulasabi.ee is available to Ukrainian refugees and people helping them. Viber, Whatsapp, and Telegram channels are also open for advice at +372 5464 0007.
• We organize international and temporary protection adaptation program training. Seven thousand eighty-seven people have completed the adaptation program for temporary protection with us, and 735 people have completed the adaptation program for international protection with us. Much more training awaits; more information is here.
• We regularly offer support person services to refugees all over Estonia. People can be sent to us through local governments. More information is here.
• The most critical information for refugees is at the top of our website in the frequently asked questions section. We continuously update the information in Estonian, English, Russian, and Ukrainian units.
• We broker accommodation from our database; currently, we have brokered more than 1000 accommodation places. Due to the shortage of accommodation places, we now 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 major cities); bids can be entered via the form on the website.
• We are organizing group counseling for Ukrainians across Estonia on two topics: field of work and digital skills. A total of 209 digital skills workshops, 122 adaptations, 113 child adaptations, and 57 work-related group counseling sessions have taken place. Counseling occurs all over Estonia, and nearly 3,300 Ukrainian refugees have participated.
• We pay a school allowance to all refugee children starting school in Estonia. Currently, 4,855 children have received support, for a total amount of 242,650 euros.
• Together with Garage48, 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.
• In the direction of mental health, in cooperation with the NGO Peaasjad, we brought to Estonia a methodology called MindSpring, which supports adapting people with a refugee background to a new environment. We are going to offer the program to refugees all over Estonia. The first groups will meet already in March.
• donations from private individuals and companies and various institutional donors finance Estonian Refugee Council's activities in Ukraine. You can continue supporting our activities on our website or the For Ukraine campaign page.

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