• During the winter, we supported around 5,000 vulnerable households in Ukraine and 250 in Georgia by distributing cash-based support of over 1,800,000 euros.

Humanitarian aid in Ukraine

What are we doing at the moment? 

• 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 215,000 people worth a total of 39 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 center and application platform has been opened for applying for cash-based support in Ukraine: https://register.pagulasabi.ee/ 
• During the winter, we supported around 5,000 vulnerable households in Ukraine and 250 in Georgia by distributing cash-based support worth over 1,800,000 euros. The aid was used to survive the winter and purchase solid fuels for Ukrainian refugees in Georgia and those in need inside Ukraine. The target areas were primarily Kharkiv, Luhansk, Donetsk, Zaporizhzhia, Kherson, Mykolaiv, Odessa, Sumy and Chernihiv regions in Ukraine, only areas under the control of the Ukrainian government, and in Georgia primarily Tbilisi and its surroundings. The amount of the subsidy is 14,000 UAH (= about €350 per household in Ukraine and €370 in Georgia).
• In mid-April, we will restart the food distribution program in areas where cash-based assistance is not possible (eg de-occupied/liberated areas, areas under frequent attacks). We intervene with help in Zaporizhzhia, Donetsk and Kharkiv regions, in total we support about 15,000 people. 
• 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.
• The entrepreneurship program aimed at women in Ukraine in cooperation with Garage48 continues. On April 1, we started training for participants who want to create new companies. The training lasts 2 weeks and on April 22, 30 grantees will be announced.

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 Program (WFP).

Supporting Ukrainian refugees in Estonia

What are we doing at the moment?

• We advise people in Tallinn (Vambola 6, Estonian Refugee Councils office) from Tuesday to Thursday (Tuesday-Thursday 10am-5pm). The helpline +372 5881 1311 (open Mon-Fri from 10 am to 5 pm), email dopomoha@pagulasabi.ee is open to Ukrainian refugees and people helping them. Viber, Whatsapp, Telegram channels are also open for advice at +372 5464 0007.
• We organize international and temporary protection adaptation program trainings. 8,326 people have completed the adaptation program for temporary protection and 1,040 people have completed the adaptation program for international protection. Many more trainings await, more information here.
• 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.
• We are currently organising group counselings for Ukrainians across Estonia on two topics: field of work and digital skills. A total of 215 digital skills workshops and 61 work-related group counseling sessions have taken place. Counselings takes place all over Estonia, and nearly 3,400 Ukrainian refugees have taken part in them.
• We pay a school allowance to all refugee children starting school in Estonia. Currently, 4,923 children have received support, in the total amount of 246,050 euros.
• Together with Garage48, we help Ukrainian women to start micro-enterprises in Estonia. The best women's teams of 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 the adaptation of people with a refugee background in a new environment. We offer the program to refugees all over Estonia. The first groups started in March.
• 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 Ukraina Heaks campaign page.

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. Estonian Refugee Council is a humanitarian aid organization certified by the European Union. Estonian Refugee Council has been providing humanitarian aid in Eastern Ukraine since 2014.