• From April to the beginning of August, we provided food aid to over 24,000 people in Kharkiv, Donetsk and Zaporizhia regions. We will continue with the food programme in September, when we will add Kherson region to the receiving regions.
• We will start with three programmes aimed at the development of the labor market and entrepreneurship. More information on the entrepreneurship programme platform and soon on the website of ERC.
• There have been two camps for a total of 75 children. In August, there are two more camp exchanges for young people aged 12-17.

Humanitarian Aid in Ukraine

What are we doing now?

• We provide multi-purpose cash assistance, with which people can buy food, medicine, hygiene supplies and other basic necessities. As of now, we have provided cash-based assistance to approximately 246,000 people, worth a total of 45 million euros. The allowance is UAH 2,220 (= about EUR 61) per household member per month. You can get help for a total of three months. A separate call centre and application platform have been opened for applying for cash-based support in Ukraine. We currently provide support in Zaporizhzhia, Donetsk, Luhansk, Kharkiv, Kherson and Mykolaiv regions.
• From April to the beginning of August, we provided food aid to over 24,000 people in Kharkiv, Donetsk and Zaporizhia regions. We will continue with the food programme in September, when we will add Kherson region to the receiving regions.
• We are part of the Joint Market Monitoring Initiative (JMMI), within which we help the humanitarian aid sector to keep a constant overview of where and how the markets are functioning in Ukraine, whether and how fast the prices of basic commodities are rising, etc. Our area of responsibility is Zaporizhzhia and Kharkiv Oblasts.

In addition to the support of Estonian donors, we also make financial interventions with international partners: the European Union (ECHO), the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), the International Rescue Committee (IRC), the World Food Programme (WFP).

Supporting Ukrainian refugees in Estonia

What are we doing now?

• We advise people in Tallinn (Vambola 6, Eesti Pagulasab office) from Tuesday to Thursday (Tuesday-Thursday 10am-5pm). The helpline +372 5881 1311 (open Mon-Fri from 10 am to 5 pm), e-mail dopomoha@pagulasabi.e is open to Ukrainian refugees and people helping them. Viber, Whatsapp, Telegram channels are also open for advice at +372 5464 0007.
• We started with an updated programme of trainings supporting adaptation. We organize trainings across Estonia on five topics: education system, entrepreneurship, legal issues on the example of Estonia and Ukraine, field of work and digital skills. To date, 231 digital skills workshops and 74 work-related group counseling sessions have taken place. In addition, 7 educational, 8 legal and 7 entrepreneurial consultations. Counseling takes place all over Estonia, both in the form of contact education and online, and nearly 4,000 Ukrainian refugees have taken part in them.
• Organize trainings for our international and temporary protection adaptation programme.
  • 2149 people have completed the International Defense Adaptation Programme with us. There are many more trainings to come, more information here.
  • A total of over 9,000 people went through the temporary protection adaptation programme with us. At the moment, the trainings have ended with us.
• We regularly offer support person service to refugees all over Estonia. People can be sent to us through local governments. More information here.
• We provide accommodation from our database. Due to the shortage of accommodation places, we currently do not provide long-term accommodation in public accommodation 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 collect accommodation offers from private individuals (primarily in Tallinn, Tartu and other major cities), offers can be entered via the form on the website.
• In August, the new Labor market programme will start, the purpose of which is to support and prepare participants for active job search in the Estonian labor market. A total of 50 people can participate in the programme. More information soon on the website of the Estonian Refugee Council.
  Applications for the entrepreneurship programme created in cooperation between ERC and Garage48 have started: https://entrepreneur.pagulasabi.ee/estonia/empowering-women-2023
• A business development programme will also start in Tartu and Jõhvi, during which 30 Ukrainian individuals or groups will receive support to start or continue their business in Estonia. More information soon on the website of the Estonian Refugee Council.
• In the direction of mental health, in cooperation with the NGO Peaasjad, we brought to Estonia a methodology called MindSpring, which supports the adaptation of people with a refugee background in a new environment. We offer the programme to refugees all over Estonia. The first groups started in March and today there are 9 groups in Keila, Viljandi, Tallinn and Tartu.
• As part of the community programme, we organize regular group activities (women's and men's groups, adaptation clubs) and larger family events. This year, a total of 176 events/group activities have taken place, in which more than 2,700 people have participated, and there have been two camp exchanges for a total of 75 children. In August, there are two more camp exchanges for young people aged 12-17.
• The most important information for refugees is at the top of our website in the frequently asked questions section. We continuously update the information in the section in Estonian, English, Russian and Ukrainian.'

Estonian Refugee Council's activities in Ukraine are financed by donations from private individuals and companies, as well as by various institutional donors. You can continue to support our activities on our website or on the For Ukraine campaign page.

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