• In Estonia, we are collecting donations to purchase generators, fuel, and other essential items for crisis and evacuation centres, so that they can continue their work under extreme conditions.
• Part of the campaign, on 26 and 28 February, charity group winter swimming events in support of Ukraine will take place in Tallinn, at Logisaun and Lennusulpsus respectively. Further information is available on Pagulasabi’s website and Facebook page.
• As of the end of January, we have provided cash assistance in Ukraine to more than 317,000 people, totalling over €59 million.
• In Ukraine, we conducted a series of online business training sessions for nearly 280 entrepreneurs in vulnerable situations, helping those affected by the war to create sustainable sources of income.
• In Estonia, 190 people participated in adaptation training sessions. Courses on residence permits continued to generate the greatest interest.
• In Armenia, in Yerevan and Abovyan, two new groups began an 8-day programme supporting the mental wellbeing of people with a refugee background and providing practical skills for independent living.

Ukraine

This winter of war has been exceptionally difficult for the people of Ukraine due to severe cold and constant attacks. We are collecting donations in Estonia to purchase generators, fuel, and other essential items for crisis and evacuation centres, so that operations can continue under extreme winter conditions and people fleeing the daily Russian attacks would have the critical support they need. The first four generators have arrived. The procurement of generators is also financially supported by the Estonian Ministry of Foreign Affairs. 

We provide cash assistance, which allows people affected by the war to purchase food, medicines, hygiene products, and other essentials. As of now, we have provided cash-based assistance to more than 317,000 conflict-affected people, worth more than 59 million euros. Cash assistance is provided for three months, with the support of 3600 Ukrainian hryvnias per household member per month, equivalent to about 73 euros. Registration for assistance is carried out through Estonian Refugee Council's local registration points or via the online application platform. Currently, our focus is on assisting those in need in frontline areas in Zaporizhzhia, Donetsk, Luhansk, Kharkiv, and Kherson oblasts. The programme is supported by the European Union, the US Government, and the Estonian Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Acted is the lead partner for EU and US-supported projects.

We support livelihood activities related to agriculture, livestock, food production, and various services through emergency assistance, with the aim of strengthening people’s self-reliance. The support amount is around 700 euros. In January, we conducted four informational sessions in Dnipropetrovska and Zaporizska oblasts. Distribution will start in February. The programme is funded by the European Union, the US Government, and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Estonia.

We support new and existing businesses in Poltava, Kirovohrad, Cherkasy, Dnipro, and Kharkiv through a self-employment programme offering online training, mentoring, and business micro-grants. In January, we conducted a series of online business-trainings for nearly 280 business leaders in vulnerable situations. The last training session will be conducted by mid-February. Ten businesses received business grants in total 28,947 euros. The project is developed in partnership with Acted and supported by the US Government.

This winter, we will assist over 5,000 vulnerable families with heating aid. We are providing both financial and in-kind support to help cover rising heating costs and ensure fuel supplies for the winter. Since the start of the winter response period this season, nearly 4,900 vulnerable families have been supported, of which nearly 4400 families received cash for winter heating assistance, and more than 500 families received solid fuel delivered to their homes. We are focusing on frontline and hard-to-reach areas in Eastern and Southern Ukraine, specifically in Donetsk, Kharkiv, Kherson, Luhansk, and Zaporizhzhia oblasts, where intensified hostilities and damaged infrastructure have severely hindered people's ability to meet their basic winter heating needs. The programme is supported by the European Union, the US Government, the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) through the Ukraine Humanitarian Fund (UHF), and the Estonian Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Acted is the lead partner for EU and US-supported projects. National NGOs Shchedryk and Peaceful Heaven of Kharkiv are the sub-implementing partners for the UHF project.

We provide psychosocial support via a mental health hotline for Ukrainians living both in Ukraine and abroad to support the people affected by the war. In the past nine months more than 3,950 calls have been made on the hotline. Read articles with hotline consultants Olena and Olha on the ERC website. The work of the NPA Psychological Hotline is implemented in partnership with the National Psychological Association of Ukraine and made possible thanks to funding from ESTDEV – Estonian Centre for International Development.

Estonia

Through the Language Ladder programme, we support Ukrainian refugee youth in language learning and social integration. In January, we continued with the implicit language learning methodology meetings meant for young people aged 13–18 and developed by Tallinn University. In Tallinn, four groups meet weekly. As part of the project, we are running the MindSpring group programme for people with a refugee background, supporting their adaptation to life in a new and unfamiliar country. In January, we started group sessions in Jõhvi, and a new group will start in Tallinn in March. The project is being implemented in collaboration with Tallinn University and the Polish organisation Dobra Fabryka. Funded by the European Union. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or European Social Fund Agency. Neither the European Union nor the Granting Authority can be held responsible for them.

We conduct monthly adaptation support training sessions on various subjects, including use of e-services, parenting, education system, adaptation of pensioners, legal matters, entrepreneurship, medical and social system, labour market, as well as legal foundations and residence permits. The training sessions take place across Estonia, both in face-to-face and online formats. In January, 190 people took part in training sessions. Training sessions on residence permits continued to attract the most interest, which shows that the topic remains highly relevant. Since 2022, a total of nearly 13,300 people have participated. 

We provide counselling by appointment at the Estonian Refugee Council office (Vambola 6, Tallinn) every day from 10 am to 5 pm. Our information hotline is open to all refugees, as well as institutions and individuals assisting them, at +372 5881 1311 (Monday to Friday from 10 am to 5 pm), and via email at counselling@pagulasabi.ee. 

We organise regular group activities and community events across Estonia. Regular language cafés continued in Tallinn, and we launched a new language-learning programme, Language Roulette. Youth-focused meetings also continued in Tallinn.

In cooperation with the Integration Foundation, we are launching training activities to strengthen the capacity of local governments in the fields of migration and integration. In the beginning of the year, we held seminars in Haapsalu, Pärnu, Võru, and Valga. More seminars will take place across Estonia in the coming months. The project is co-funded by the European Union through the Asylum, Migration and Integration Fund (AMIF) and the Ministry of the Interior.

In cooperation with the Integration Foundation, we began organising various events across Estonia to increase the civic engagement of third-country nationals, including beneficiaries of international protection. The aim is to strengthen mutual understanding and trust, and to help third-country nationals cope better with everyday life and participate more actively in society. Project no. AMIF.1.02.23-0005 “Cooperation activities to increase the civic engagement of third-country nationals, including beneficiaries of international protection” is co-funded by the Asylum, Migration and Integration Fund (AMIF). 

Armenia 

Hydroponic greenhouses established at three schools in the Tavush region of Armenia help introduce water- and energy-efficient agricultural solutions developed in Estonia. Through the programme, we support schools in adapting to climate change and ensuring food security in water-scarce conditions. We also promote children’s environmental education and increase students’ engagement in agricultural and environmental topics. In January, produce from the greenhouses was used for the first time in school meals, and the schools visited the Getashen Agro-Eco School in the Armavir region to strengthen partnership and cooperation. Read more about the programme on ERC’s website. The programme is funded by the Ministry of Climate of the Republic of Estonia and the Women’s Fund Armenia.

Thanks to funding from the European Union, we have launched four community councils to enable people with refugee backgrounds to voice their concerns, and take part in decision-making processes that affect them. During January, community councils held their monthly meetings and capacity-building sessions on various topics, i.e., human and refugee rights, project design and management. During these sessions, participants identified key issues and potential pathways to address these challenges. They also created a document related to initiative development, submission procedures, and application forms, laying the groundwork for moving into the initiative phase over the next months.

We are also running self-help groups that support the mental well-being of people with a refugee background and provide them with practical skills and support to start or restore small businesses and secure sustainable livelihoods. In January, 10 people from the two latest self-help groups received their livelihood grants and started the procurement process. Two new groups in Yerevan and Abovyan started the 8-day programme. Mentors are providing mentorship support to 37 grantees in total. A psychologist was introduced to both the new and existing groups for further engagement. The programme is funded by the European Union.