In Estonia, we have relaunched the "Boost" entrepreneurship programme, which helps participants develop or restart their existing businesses. Registration is open on the Estonian Refugee Council platform.In Ukraine we have provided cash-based assistance to nearly 296,000 people. In Ukraine, we continue to distribute winter support to cover heating costs for 5000 households during the upcoming winter season. Assistance will be provided in cash, or alternatively, firewood or coal will be delivered directly to those in need.We are launching four community councils in Armenia to enable people with refugee backgrounds to express their concerns, advocate for solutions to their problems, and participate in decision-making processes that affect them.We will also continue working with community councils in Georgia to amplify the voices of refugees and internally displaced persons there.

This morning, another Russian missile strike hit Kyiv, causing extensive damage to civilian infrastructure. Hundreds of residential buildings, as well as dozens of schools, kindergartens, and healthcare facilities, were left without heating as a result. One of the missiles exploded just a couple of kilometres from the Estonian Refugee Council's Kyiv office, highlighting the extreme conditions in which our team continues its work.

On 7 December, a pre-Christmas Ukrainian-Estonian family celebration was held in Võru in cooperation with the local Red Cross office, bringing together around 120 participants. The event featured a concert performance introducing Ukrainian Christmas traditions, with singing, dancing, and acting.

The Estonian Refugee Council celebrated its 24th Anniversary. In our 24 years of operation our assistance has reached around half a million people. We have grown to become the largest humanitarian organisation in the Baltics and our team of more than 120 employees helps crisis-affected people in 6 countries.

The UPBEAT employability programme, launched in the summer in collaboration with the Estonian Refugee Council, Startup Refugees, and Haaga-Helia University of Applied Sciences, aims to increase the competitiveness of young people with refugee and migrant backgrounds in entrepreneurship and the labour market through learning about artificial intelligence (AI).

On 19 November, from 5 PM to 9 PM, the Estonian Refugee Council will host a solidarity event in Freedom Square, Tallinn, where a thousand candles will be lit to mark 1,000 days since the beginning of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine. The event is part of the ongoing campaign “1,000 Days of War, 1,000 Warm Homes.”

The Estonian Refugee Council launched a donation campaign on 13 November – “1000 Days of War, 1000 Warm Homes” – to collect donations during November and December to provide heating support for 1,000 Ukrainian households near the frontline.