February marks four years since the start of the full-scale war in Ukraine, and this winter has been exceptionally difficult for Ukrainians due to intensified Russian attacks and severe weather conditions. The Estonian Refugee Council is organising a winter swimming challenge in support of Ukraine to raise awareness of the extreme conditions people are facing and to collect donations to support those affected.

In the midst of ongoing war and mass displacement, access to mental health support can be a lifeline. Last spring, in collaboration with the Ukrainian National Psychological Association, the Estonian Refugee Council relaunched its mental health support hotline, providing psychological assistance to Ukrainians both in Ukraine and across 20 other European countries. Olha, one of the helpline’s consultants, opens up about her work helping others while confronting the personal challenges brought on by the war.

With the support of donors in Estonia, we raised €30,000 to provide winter heating assistance to families living near the front lines in Ukraine. On 6 December, the Estonian Refugee Council celebrated 25 years of supporting people who have lost their homes and sense of security. Over this time, we have supported more than 470,000 people affected by crises.  In Estonia, more than 300 people participated in adaptation training, and over 330 people took part in community activities in December. In Ukraine, we supported more than 170 families in Dnipropetrovska and Zaporizhzhia oblasts with cash-based livestock livelihoods support.  Since October, nearly 4,290 families in frontline and hard-to-reach areas of Eastern and Southern Ukraine – including Donetsk, Kharkiv, Kherson, Luhansk, and Zaporizhzhia oblasts – have received winter heating assistance. In Georgia, we provided winter livelihoods support to 515 people who fled Ukraine, helping them cover their basic needs during the colder months.  In Syria, we distributed cash-based humanitarian assistance to 65 people in the Latakia region to help alleviate the consequences of the summer wildfires. 

Young Ukrainians who have fled the war to Estonia want to speak Estonian, but their language learning is often hindered by a lack of practice and fear of making mistakes. To support young people’s language learning, the Estonian Refugee Council has organised more than 60 meetings based on the invisible language learning methodology for young people with a refugee background over the course of the autumn.

At the beginning of December, the Estonian Refugee Council, together with its local partner, the Shchedryk Charitable Foundation, travelled to Novopavlivka – a small village in the Velykooleksandrivska community of Kherson oblast that has been living with war for more than three years.

In Estonia, Estonian language sessions for young people aged 13–18 continue, based on the immersive language-learning methodology developed by Tallinn University. In November, more than 320 people took part in adaptation trainings in Estonia. Trainings related to residence permits remain the most popular. In Ukraine, entrepreneurship training began for 105 entrepreneurs to help people affected by the war create or develop a sustainable source of income. In November, we provided winter heating assistance to a total of 2,260 families. In Armenia, three greenhouses were completed at schools in the Tavush region, and 400 students received environmental training. In Jordan, a project supporting vulnerable women-headed households in achieving independent livelihoods through smart and climate-friendly agricultural practices was completed. In Syria, we provided cash assistance to people in the city of Latakia to help them meet their basic needs following the wildfires.

In Ukraine, winter is not simply a cold season – for people in especially vulnerable situations, it is a matter of survival. The Estonian Refugee Council is launching its winter fundraising campaign to support frontline families in Ukraine with vital heating assistance.