Rebuilding lives, together
At Estonian Refugee Council, we help people get through crises and rebuild their lives. That can mean cash assistance to cover urgent needs, support to find work or start a business, or advice and community activities to help people settle into a new place.
We work in Estonia, Armenia, Ukraine, Syria, Palestine, and beyond, listening to people and respecting their choices. Whether you join as a colleague, intern, volunteer or expert, you can bring your skills to this work.
Applications for the 2027 spring internship round open on 1 November 2026 and close on 15 January. The internship pathway lists what to prepare before you start.
Who we are
An Estonian non-governmental organisation working with refugees and displaced people since 2000.
We began as a small group of volunteers helping the first people to claim asylum in Estonia. By now, we work with refugees and other people affected by crises globally.
Our team brings together people with experience in humanitarian assistance, livelihoods, protection, community support and organisational operations. We work alongside local communities, partners and volunteers.
Our work is supported by public funding, institutional donors and private donations. We follow the humanitarian principles of humanity, neutrality, impartiality and independence, with people’s rights and dignity at the centre of our work.
Why we do it
Nobody chooses to leave home. What they can choose - if they are given the chance - is what happens next: a language learned, a job found, a child settled in school, a family together again.
Our job is to make that chance real, and to say so publicly when it is being withheld. We work without regard to nationality, faith or politics, and we keep the people we support at the centre of every decision we take about them.
