The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) reports that as of February 9, 2023, the number of refugees from Ukraine recorded across Europe has exceeded 8 million. While Poland and Germany are hosting the greatest numbers of refugees, the Czech Republic, Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania have the highest proportion of refugees compared to their population.
Some refugees are in transit, some have visitors’ visas and many have applied for temporary protection status and are thereby eligible within the European Union for social benefits, medical care and to seek work. According to Estonian border security reports and the state social services board data, as of February 10, 2023:
• number of refugees who entered Estonia: 123,205
• number in transit to other countries: 56,065
• number of refugees remaining in Estonia: 67,140
While about two thirds of the Ukrainian refugees who are staying in Estonia have applied for temporary protection, many have found jobs, primarily in the service sector. As a result, refugees account for only 11.9% of the total of 6,500 individuals registered as unemployed in Estonia today. According to Professor Raul Eamets, Dean of the Faculty of Social Sciences at the University of Tartu, as most adult refugees are working, they are paying taxes and not just living on protection benefits provided by the Ministry of Social Services. Furthermore, Eamets stated that 68% are living in private apartments and not in state supported housing and over half have started to learn Estonian. (ERR; 17.02.2023)
A 2022 UNHCR survey of Ukrainian refugees found that 81% hope to return to Ukraine, 15% were undecided and only 4% held no hope of returning. Safety and security were the main reasons cited by most of the undecided or those with no hope of returning.
A critical need among refugee children from Ukraine is access to ongoing education. The City of Tallinn has responded by opening a new branch of a high school with 100 school places. Additionally, in cooperation with Kopli Vocational School, an adaptation program now offers alternative learning opportunities to students who have not yet entered the Estonian education system.
EERO support in 2022
Last year, donations from EERO Canada (Estonian Ecumenical Relief Organization) to support Ukrainian refugees in Estonia amounted to a remarkable $340,000 CAD (241,000 euros).
EERO Canada, which partners with the Estonian Refugee Council (MTÜ Pagulasabi), directed a large portion of the donations to school support for refugee children.
How donations were distributed:
School support* (4,247 children): 212,350 euros
Summer camps – day camps: 3,000 euros
MindSpring – psychological trauma therapy training: 1,000 euros
Breakdown of Ukrainian children who received school support, by county (maakond):
Refugees reported using some or all of the EERO School support to purchase: school supplies, clothing for the children, food, prescription drugs, pay accommodation expenses, and other essential needs.
Ongoing support is critical
Today, Ukrainian refugees, such as Kateryna, a young widow with four children, and Olga, a teacher from Mariupol, need ongoing support.
Kateryna’s family fled Ukraine by train and then bus, arriving in Estonia last March with just one suitcase and a baby carriage. Today, her 16-year-old daughter and 13-year-old son attend school in Tõnismäe, where they study in both Estonian and Ukrainian. Her 7-year-old daughter is in a regular Estonian school and, despite Kateryna’s trepidation, is managing well.
Olga had stayed in Mariupol despite continuous bombing until the day she found her mother shot near the door of their apartment building. She had already lost her boyfriend, serving in the Ukrainian army, and her father’s whereabouts were unknown. By then, escape was very dangerous, but Olga decided to try and reach safety by travelling through Russia since she could speak the language. She suffered humiliation and mockery from Russian officials, but was also lucky to meet people who helped her reach Narva. Olga has found work in an office, although she is a history teacher. Bitterly, she asks, “what is the point of studying history, if people don’t learn from it?”
Both Kateryna and Olga are learning Estonian, and working to support themselves in a country they knew little about a year ago. They are very thankful for the help they have received from Estonians, the Estonian state, the Estonian Refugee Council, and Estonian Canadians. Although Kateryna and Olga both look forward to eventually returning to Ukraine, they do not want to be a burden on Estonia in the meanwhile.
You can help
It’s easy to support Ukrainian refugees in Estonia by making your donation through EERO Canada:
• donate to the EERO Ukrainian Refugee Fund at Northern Birch Credit Union.
• make an e-transfer to eerolaekur@gmail.com.
• use your credit card or PayPal on the EERO donation page at CanadaHelps, a secure donations processing site that can issue instant tax receipts. https://www.canadahelps.org/en/dn/70820.
Thank you for your continued support.
