• Estonian Refugee Council is now part of the Standby Partnership Network – an international network that brings together UN agencies and humanitarian expert rosters from around the world.
• In Estonia, we raised donations to purchase generators, fuel, and other essential items for crisis and evacuation centres, so that they can continue their work under extreme conditions. As of today, 24 generators and 16 high-capacity power stations have been delivered, and the work continues.
• Since 2022, we have supported people affected by the war in Ukraine with cash-based humanitarian assistance worth more than €60 million.
• In February, an online business training programme in Ukraine concluded, with a total of 278 participants completing the course.
• This winter season, we supported more than 5,000 vulnerable families in Ukraine with heating assistance.
• In Estonia, nearly 300 people took part in adaptation trainings.
• In Armenia, we have trained the members of the community councils, who can soon begin the councils’ core work based on the initiative ideas gathered and chosen by the members. 

Ukraine

This winter of war has been exceptionally difficult for the people of Ukraine due to severe cold and constant attacks. We collected 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. As of today, 24 generators and 16 high-capacity power stations have been delivered to facilities in war affected areas across Ukraine. 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 323,700 conflict-affected people, worth more than 60 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. Distribution started in February, we shared 34 grants across four oblasts – Zaporizka, Dnipropetrovska, Kirovohradska, and Cherkaska. The programme is funded by the European Union, the US Government, and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Estonia.

We concluded online business training with 278 graduates that supported new and existing businesses in Poltava, Kirovohrad, Cherkasy, Dnipro, Kirovohad, and Kharkiv oblasts. In total, we gave out 47 business grants in the amount of more than 142,000 euros. The project is developed in partnership with Acted and supported by the US Government.

Following the winter period, we supported more than 5,000 vulnerable families with heating assistance. Through a combination of cash and in-kind support, we helped families manage increased heating costs and secure adequate fuel supplies during the coldest months. Since the start of this season's winter response, this assistance has contributed to reducing immediate protection risks and supporting families to stay warm and safe throughout the winter. We are focusing on frontline and hard-to-reach areas in Eastern and Southern Ukraine where intensified hostilities and damaged infrastructure have severely hindered people's ability to meet their basic winter heating needs. People of Ukraine were also supported via donations gathered in Estonia. 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. Since May last year, more than 4,160 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 February, we continued with the implicit language learning methodology meetings meant for young people aged 13–18 and developed by Tallinn University. In Tallinn, all four groups graduated. 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. The Jõhvi group meetings also continued in February, and a new group will begin 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 February, nearly 300 people took part in the trainings. The most popular were sessions on completing tax returns, attended by 137 participants. This was followed by a seminar on the steps Ukrainian refugees need to take to submit employment record data electronically to the Ukrainian Pension Fund. Since 2022, a total of nearly 13,600 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, the language-learning programme, Language Roulette, also continued. Youth-focused meetings also continued in Tallinn.

In cooperation with the Integration Foundation, we are giving seminars to strengthen the capacity of local governments in the fields of migration and integration. In 2026 so far, seminars have taken place in Haapsalu, Pärnu, Võru, Valga, Kärdla and Põlva. In March, further seminars are planned in Põltsamaa and Kuressaare, and in April in Tallinn. A cultural sensitivity training was held in Pärnu at the beginning of March, with more trainings planned in Tallinn and Jõhvi. 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 February, the greenhouses prepared for the spring planting season. Read more about the programme on ERC’s website. The programme is funded by the Ministry of Climate of the Republic of Estonia. Students from the schools researched local air and soil quality, launched plastic sorting initiatives and raised awareness about waste management in their community. The programme is funded by 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 February, community councils held their monthly meetings and capacity-building sessions on various topics. All four launched the phase among its members to gather ideas for the initiatives. 

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 February, self-help groups in Yerevan and Abovyan continued their meetings. Mentors completed support for the first 13 grantees and are still working with the remaining 24. A psychologist also started providing individual sessions for two participants. Monitoring visits were conducted to four people of the Gyumri group. The programme is funded by the European Union.