• We started with cash-based aid in Armenia, and currently, we have reached 200 people. Cash-based support per person is 50,000 AMD (approx. 114 EUR) per month. 
• In December, we officially registered our representative office in Georgia, work is underway to find office space and build a team. Estonian Refugee Aid has offices in Ukraine (Kyiv, Zaporizhia, Dnipro), Jordan (Ar-Ramtha), Armenia (Yerevan), and Estonia (Tallinn, Tartu). 
• We are collecting grants to purchase a generator in Eastern Ukraine with the "Give Spark to Hedgehog" campaign. Let's help hedgehogs to homes in Estonia and bring warmth to Ukraine! 
• This season we have given support for surviving the winter to nearly 10,000 people in Ukraine.
• In January, the phase of the hydroponic plant growing program will end in Jordan, during which we built 17 greenhouses. In addition, 100 beneficiaries participated in hydroponics training to increase their knowledge of water-efficient farming methods.

Humanitarian Assistance Programme

Ukraine 

• 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 aid to more than a quarter of a million, or approx. 258,663 people, in a total value of approx. 47.5 million euros. Cash-based support per household member in one month is 3,600 UAH (about 92 euros). You can get help for a total of three months. A separate call centre and application platform has been opened for applying for cash-based support in Ukraine: https://register.pagulasabi.ee. We are currently providing support in Zaporizhzhia, Donetsk, Luhansk, Kharkiv, Kherson and Mykolaiv regions. 
• We offer winter survival financial support to purchase solid fuels such as coal, firewood, briquettes or pellets or to pay for gas heating bills to vulnerable households living in rural and suburban areas. You can apply for help in the same areas where we also offer general cash-based support. During the entire winter season, households are entitled to heating assistance of UAH 17,500 (EUR 450). At the moment, we have supported nearly 10,000 people. 
• We have provided food aid to more than 33,000 people in Kharkiv, Donetsk, Kherson and Zaporizhzhia 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 markets in Ukraine are functioning, whether and how quickly basic goods prices rise, etc. Our area of responsibility is Zaporizhzhia, Kherson and Donetsk regions.

Armenia

• We started with cash-based aid in Armenia, and currently, we have reached 200 people. The amount of cash-based support per person is 50,000 AMD (approx. 114 EUR) per month.

Livelihoods Programme

Ukraine

• We offer vulnerable women the opportunity to participate in entrepreneurship programs to gain new knowledge and earn a sustainable income. In addition, we issue agricultural grants. More information about ongoing programs and how to apply can be found on our Livelihoods Programme page.

Estonia

• A 6-month mentoring programme is underway in the entrepreneurship programme conducted in cooperation with ERC and Garage48. Last year, 11 sessions were held within the mentoring programme, this year we will continue with individual need-based sessions. Study visits to local entrepreneurs continue in February, where the hosts share their experiences and programme participants can get an insight into the inner world of local businesses. 
• The business development programme BOOST in Tartu and Jõhvi ended on December 16 last year. The final event of the programme in Tartu was attended by 14 companies that completed the programme, from which the jury selected the best 3, who received a 1000-euro grant to promote their company. As an additional prize, one outstanding company will receive 10 hours of mentoring.

Jordan

• As of January, the phase of the hydroponic plant growing programme in Jordan, during which we built 17 greenhouses, will end. In addition, 100 beneficiaries participated in hydroponics training to increase their knowledge of water-efficient farming methods. Greenhouses allow beneficiaries to grow food for their own consumption or to monetize crops to increase income.

Counselling Programme

• We advise people on pre-registration in Tallinn (Vambola 6, Eesti Pagulasab office) every day between 10am and 5pm. The helpline +372 5881 1311 (open Mon-Fri from 10 am to 5 pm), e-mail counseling@pagulasabi.ee is open to all refugees and institutions and people helping them. Viber, Whatsapp, Telegram channels are also open for counseling at +372 5464 0007. 
• Monthly trainings supporting adaptation continue across Estonia on five topics: education system, entrepreneurship, legal issues in the example of Estonia and Ukraine, field of work and digital skills. In 2023, a total of 640 trainings took place. Counselling takes place all over Estonia, both in the form of contact education and online, and 4,979 refugees have taken part in them. 
• We focus on providing emergency accommodation to those refugees who have suddenly lost their place of residence.

Mental Health Programme

• In the direction of mental health, we offer the MindSpring programme to refugees all over Estonia. The first groups started in March and to date, there have been more than 20 groups and 163 people have participated in the groups in Keila, Haapsalu, Viljandi, Pärnu, Sillamäe, Tallinn and Tartu.

Community Programme

• We organize regular group activities and larger family events as part of the community programme. In 2023, a total of 315 events/group activities took place, where nearly 5,000 people participated, and we conducted five summer camp exchanges for a total of 120 children and an autumn city camp for 20 young people. The community and advocacy programme are supported, among others, by the United Nations Refugee Agency (UNHCR).

Georgia 

• In Georgia, this year we are helping to empower civil society and give more voice to refugees through community councils. Community councils are informal representative bodies of Georgian IDPs and Ukrainian refugees. On December 15, a conference of community councils was held in Georgia.

Advocacy Programme

Estonia

• We provided international organizations such as the European Union Asylum Agency and FRONTEX with an overview of ensuring the rights of refugees in Estonia. 
• We submitted an opinion to the Ministry of Culture on the draft regulation amending Regulation No. 34 "Adaptation Programme" of the Minister of the Interior of August 13, 2014.

The activities of Estonian Refugee Assistance are largely supported by institutional donors: the European Union (ECHO), the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), USAID/Bureau for Humanitarian Assistance (BHA), the Estonian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, etc.

As individuals and companies, our activities can continue to be supported on our website.

MTÜ Eesti Pagulasabi (Estonian Refugee Council) 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.