Estonia will allocate half a million euros for war victims in eastern Ukraine

Estonia is allocating half a million euros to improve the situation of internally displaced persons and those affected by the conflict.

The press service of the Estonian Embassy in Kyiv reports.

Estonia supports extending the digital opportunities program from the NGO Mondo to schools in the regions affected by the conflict, as well as providing psychological assistance to victims of the crisis in the Luhansk region. The project has two components: reducing the educational gap in the regions affected by the crisis and helping to overcome the stress of internally displaced persons and residents of the Luhansk region. Support is 177,994 euros.

Estonia allocates funds to the Estonian Refugee Council to provide humanitarian assistance to settlements near the front line in eastern Ukraine. The project's purpose is to provide school equipment and subsidies for school preparation to children affected by the armed conflict in eastern Ukraine. Also, households near the line of contact will receive assistance to prepare for the winter season and agricultural subsidies in the spring. Elderly people living near the front line will also be supported by the necessary sanitation. Estonia allocates 175,258 euros to the Estonian Refugee Council.

The third goal, supported by Estonia, is the project of the Ukrainian Cultural Center to provide modern furniture and equipment to 16 schools and kindergartens in the Donetsk and Luhansk regions. Support is 150,000 euros.

"Ukraine has been a priority country for Estonian development projects since 2006. We'll continue to support Ukraine to help the people most affected by the conflict, which has been going on for seven years. In an increasingly difficult situation, it's extremely important to help children and vulnerable people living in the conflict zone, so these issues are key to the projects that have received assistance," Estonian Foreign Minister Eva-Maria Liimets said.

This year, Estonia plans to support Ukraine with €2.4 million, of which €1.4 million is for bilateral cooperation and €1 million for bilateral humanitarian cooperation. The budget of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs provides 11.6 million euros for project activities in the development and activities of Estonia and Ukraine within humanitarian aid in 2020 and 2023.

To recap, Rubryka interviewed the head of foreign policy in the Estonian parliament, Marko Mikhelson.