The third season of the "Empowering Women" entrepreneurship programme is set to launch in October

05/09/2024
Empowering Women kolmas hooaeg

The Estonian Refugee Council, Garage48, and Swedbank invite women living in Estonia to participate in the "Empowering Women" entrepreneurship programme. Starting for the third time on 19 October, the programme helps participants start or develop their micro-businesses and supports women's independent and long-term self-sufficiency.

"The programme's past successes have inspired us to significantly expand it. This season, we are open to women from across Estonia, offering an eight-month business incubation programme. While we have tailored the programme for this larger participant group, we remain committed to the original goal – to empower women who wish to start businesses in environments that present more challenges and fewer opportunities. In Estonia, these are primarily areas outside of major cities, so we especially welcome women who want to create businesses and develop their local communities in rural regions," explains Kadri Tiisvelt, programme lead at Garage48.

According to Grete Karelsohn, livelihood programme specialist at the Estonian Refugee Council, previous seasons of "Empowering Women" have been successful in helping refugees in Estonia achieve self-reliance, while also contributing to the local economy. "We want to continue supporting women with refugee backgrounds by providing opportunities to start their own businesses and enter the local labour market," Karelsohn explained, adding that this year the programme is open to both refugee women and local entrepreneurial women, offering participants the chance to learn from each other’s diverse experiences and worldviews.

The Idea Garage event on 19 October is the programme’s first stage and is open to anyone considering entrepreneurship, looking to better define their business idea, or wanting to find an idea and team to join. The following steps include a business model hackathon and an incubation programme.

You can apply to participate in the programme through this link.

The "Empowering Women" entrepreneurship programme is organised by the Estonian Refugee Council, Garage48, and Swedbank, with partners EENA and OBJEKT. The programme season runs from September 2024 to March 2025 in Estonian and Russian. Previous seasons have launched approximately 13 businesses, creating jobs for nearly 30 people. You can read about the latest season here. The programme is also implemented in Ukraine to support women starting businesses there.

The programme is co-funded by Swedbank, Garage48, the Estonian Refugee Council, OBJEKT, and the European Union.

Sõjakahjustused Ukrainas. Purustatud aknad on kinni löödud, et sooja toas hoida
18/11/2024
Estonian Refugee Council to Light a Thousand Candles in Support of Ukraine
Estonian Refugee Council to Light a Thousand Candles in Support of Ukraine
On 19 November, from 5 PM to 9 PM, the Estonian Refugee Council will host a solidarity event in Freedom Square, Tallinn, where a thousand candles will be lit to mark 1,000 days since the beginning of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine. The event is part of the ongoing campaign “1,000 Days of War, 1,000 Warm Homes.”
Knowledge Exchange programm
15/11/2024
Estonia, Latvia, and Finland Wrap Up Collaborative Project on Refugee Labour Market Integration
Estonia, Latvia, and Finland Wrap Up Collaborative Project on Refugee Labour Market Integration
The project, which aimed to map out opportunities for people with a refugee background to enter the labour market, culminated in an Estonian visit at the beginning of November. During the visit, participants explored the activities and initiatives of the Estonian Refugee Council and the opportunities available to refugees in Estonia.
"1000 päeva soda, 1000 sooja kodu" kampaania 2024
13/11/2024
"1000 Days of War, 1000 Warm Homes": Estonian Refugee Council Calls for Donations to Support Families Near the Frontline
"1000 Days of War, 1000 Warm Homes": Estonian Refugee Council Calls for Donations to Support Families Near the Frontline
The Estonian Refugee Council launched a donation campaign on 13 November – “1000 Days of War, 1000 Warm Homes” – to collect donations during November and December to provide heating support for 1,000 Ukrainian households near the frontline.
Наталія Качур
08/11/2024
Art for healing and self-development: The story of “Kachur” online school
Art for healing and self-development: The story of “Kachur” online school
Ms. Nataliya Kachur comes from the city of Soledar in the Donetsk region of Ukraine. Due to the full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, Nataliya and her family moved away from the frontlines and to the central region of Cherkasy. It was not easy for Nataliya’s family to suddenly uproot their lives and settle in a completely new place far from their social network and previous jobs. Having 20 years of experience in teaching art, Nataliya decided to begin offering online drawing lessons, leveraging her love for art to earn a living in an unfamiliar area.
Humanitaarabi konverents 2024
08/11/2024
International Humanitarian Conference in Tallinn Focuses on Ethical Dilemmas and Innovation in Humanitarian Aid
International Humanitarian Conference in Tallinn Focuses on Ethical Dilemmas and Innovation in Humanitarian Aid
The international humanitarian conference, organised by the Estonian Refugee Council, brought together experts and organisations from around the world in Tallinn yesterday. In its second year, the conference focused on ethical dilemmas, anticipatory action, and the use of artificial intelligence in humanitarian aid.
Humanitarian mission to Kharkiv in October
06/11/2024
Overview of the Estonian Refugee Council's Activities in October
Overview of the Estonian Refugee Council's Activities in October
A donation campaign in Estonia is still active to provide humanitarian aid for people affected by the conflict in Lebanon.On 7 November, we are organising an international humanitarian conference in Tallinn, which focuses on ethical dilemmas, preventive action, and the use of artificial intelligence.In Ukraine, we continue to distribute winter support to cover heating costs for 4,500 households during the upcoming winter season. Assistance will be provided in cash, or alternatively, firewood or coal will be delivered directly to those in need.A financial assistance programme was launched in Ukraine to increase food security and self-sufficiency for vulnerable households and communities by improving the winter living conditions of livestock and poultry.In Armenia’s Lori region, a women’s livelihoods programme started.Our Armenia office has signed an agreement with the Estonian University of Life Sciences to help three schools in the Tavush region implement water- and energy-efficient agricultural solutions developed in Estonia to alleviate water scarcity and promote environmental education.In Georgia, a cash assistance programme has been launched to support Ukrainian refugees living there through the winter months. For more information, visit the Estonian Refugee Council´s website.
Eesti Pagulasabi humanitaarkonverents 2023
04/11/2024
Estonian Refugee Council’s International Humanitarian Conference Focuses on the Sector's Future and Ethical Dilemmas
Estonian Refugee Council’s International Humanitarian Conference Focuses on the Sector's Future and Ethical Dilemmas
Eesti Pagulasabi korraldab 7. novembril Tallinnas, Fotografiskas rahvusvahelise humanitaarkonverentsi, mille keskmes on eetika, ennetav tegutsemine ja tehisintellekti kasutus humanitaarabis.
Михайло Семесенко
15/10/2024
ERC supports vulnerable households with livelihoods in the Poltava region: the story of Mykhailo Semesenko
ERC supports vulnerable households with livelihoods in the Poltava region: the story of Mykhailo Semesenko
Mykhailo and his wife have been keeping cows for over 30 years. They started with one cow to have milk for themselves. Then they got more cows and delivered milk to the dairy. After losing their main job, keeping and breeding cows became the main source of income for the couple. A husband and a wife independently take care of animals, sell milk, as well as sour milk cheese, sour cream and fermented baked milk (ryazhanka) of their own production at the local market.
Talvine küttetoetus Ukrainas
09/10/2024
Overview of the Estonian Refugee Council's activities in September
Overview of the Estonian Refugee Council's activities in September
We launched a donation campaign in Estonia to provide humanitarian aid for people affected by the conflict in Lebanon.On 7 November, we are organising an international humanitarian conference in Tallinn, which is still open for registration. This year's conference will focus on ethical dilemmas, preventive action, and the use of artificial intelligence.The third season of the "Empowering Women" programme has begun in Estonia.We have launched a nursery school counselling programme in Estonia to strengthen inclusive learning environments.As part of Mental Health Month, we are organising a Mental Well-being Day in Tallinn on 12 October.In Ukraine, we have begun distributing winter support to cover heating costs for 4,500 households during the upcoming winter season. Assistance will be provided in cash, or alternatively, firewood or coal will be delivered directly to those in need.In Armenia’s Lori region, we launched a women’s livelihoods programme.
Lasteaedade nõustamisprojekt
08/10/2024
Estonian Refugee Council Supports the Creation of Inclusive Learning Environments in Kindergartens in Ida-Viru County and Tallinn
Estonian Refugee Council Supports the Creation of Inclusive Learning Environments in Kindergartens in Ida-Viru County and Tallinn
The Estonian Refugee Council (ERC) is advising specialists in kindergartens in Ida-Viru County and Tallinn to help create more integrated and inclusive learning environments. The programme, which runs until the end of January 2025, is supported by the British Council in Estonia. This is the fourth year the ERC has provided such consultation for kindergartens.
View all News & Materials
Contact
Have questions or suggestions? Please fill out the contact form
CAPTCHA
This question is for testing whether or not you are a human visitor and to prevent automated spam submissions.