Kristina Ots, the social service coordinator of the Jõhvi Rural Municipality Government, started work in June 2022, initially helping subsistence benefit specialists whose workload had increased sharply due to the war in Ukraine. What was supposed to be a temporary job grew into so much more: she became responsible for supporting the smooth integration of newly arrived immigrants.
Before Kristina, there was no such position in Jõhvi, meaning that she and her colleague became something like pioneers. Together, they started from scratch to provide the necessary support, mainly to recipients of temporary and international protection.
Kristina had previous experience in accepting applications, but admits that all other necessary skills had to be acquired on the job. Her tasks include processing rental benefits, receiving people, and providing guidance on everyday life issues. There is a lot of cooperation with various state institutions, such as the Police and Border Guard Board, the Social Insurance Board, and the Unemployment Insurance Fund, with whom efforts are made towards a common goal – to ensure that the adaptation of refugees in Estonia is as smooth as possible.
‘What I love most about my job is the human contact, the opportunity to provide support in a difficult situation with coping in a new society and see how people gradually become more and more independent,’ Kristina points out.
She mostly works with families with children, elderly people with no remaining family, and people who do not have a support network in Estonia. They need help in different areas of life: completing documents, finding a place to live, looking for a job, and getting a school or kindergarten place. Choosing a family physician, understanding the logic of public transportation, and banking transactions can also be a challenge for newcomers.
‘I have learned how to download account statements from PrivatBank because elderly people often find it difficult,’ she adds. ‘Mostly, however, they just need someone to listen and calmly explain things to them. There is a lot of new information at the beginning – I help people navigate it and feel more confident in their new environment. I am simply there for them.’
By providing support and guidance to newly arrived immigrants, Kristina helps them become more independent step by step: new compatriots gain the knowledge and confidence that they will be able to do the necessary tasks by themselves in the future. ‘Part of my job is also directing people to Estonian language courses and the adaptation programme. I also give them information about job searching and refer them to the Unemployment Insurance Fund. My goal is to motivate them not only to find work, but also to increase their self-confidence so that they feel that they have real opportunities to improve their lives here in Estonia. What brings me the most joy is when people are genuinely grateful for the help, and you can see the relief in their eyes.’
Kristina recalls a particularly heart-warming moment at an information day jointly organised by the Police and Border Guard Board and the Social Insurance Board, when, sitting in the front row, she heard one client say to another, ‘No problem, Kristina will help us.’
‘This really meant a lot to me because it assured me that I was doing the right thing. My role was to be a reliable contact person who could guide people, provide them with information, and offer support when there was a lot of information and the situations were complex. Moments like this remind me why I do what I do.’
Sometimes, even Kristina does not have the necessary information and cannot immediately solve the problems that her clients are facing. In these moments, she has learned, it is important to keep calm and find solutions in collaboration with colleagues and partner institutions. ‘In difficult situations, we need calm communication, cooperation, and a willingness to look for solutions. It is important to let the person know that I am doing everything I can – often, that is all it takes to give them some calm,’ she is convinced.
Her ‘superpower’ is simple and empathetic communication – people find it easy to talk to her; they trust her and are not afraid to ask for help. ‘When adapting to a new environment, it is very important to know that there is someone out there you can turn to. I believe that the reassurance and genuine support I offer is the greatest value of my work.’
