Help Ukrainian refugees continue learning English!

In May 2022, Otto and Joe from the Latvia Weekly Podcast came up with the idea of starting free English courses for the many Ukrainian refugees who have sought shelter in Latvia from the Russian war of aggression. English is important as the most spoken language in Europe; it is helpful to the employability of the refugees during their stay in Latvia, and is also needed in the future as Ukrainians have chosen the path of Euroatlantic integration for their country. At the same time, opportunities to study English for free had been lacking for refugees.

In August, Otto and Joe launched the ENGtegration for Ukraine project at the Baltic Security Foundation. This has been made possible with the help of a generous grant from the US Embassy in Rīga, and from a number of private donors. So far, it has enabled more than 300 students to receive English language instruction from internationally experienced instructors both in person and via video calls. Due to the situation in Ukraine not being stable enough for most to return home, there has been a continued solid demand for these free English courses.

The current round of courses ends on the 2nd of March. Thanks to a number of generous donors, we will be able to begin providing a new round of courses on the 13th of March. However, in order to provide a full offering of four parallel six-week courses at "beginner" and "intermediate" levels, we need an additional €1000 in order to cover the teacher's salary, the rental of premises (including heating), all required study materials, and basic accounting. We hope to raise the full amount; however, we will be glad to organize as many courses and lessons that the raised funds permit, even if it is below the stated goal. If we raise more than €1000, then we will be able to provide even more lessons to the refugee community. Thank you for your generosity!