Folk high school in Ukraine has trained over 13,000 people in life-saving measures

Olena Shved, a doctor and surgeon, serves as the medical director of the Civil Protection Faculty project. She was highly impressed with the project from the start:
“Serhii Chumachenko and others involved in the project did an incredible amount of self-education before I even joined. It’s inspiring to see how they work as medical volunteers, using their free time to help ordinary people and address needs that the government cannot meet.”

Training Civilians and Military Personnel

“The first course was held in May 2022. Since then, 65 instructors and 15 trainers in tactical medicine have been trained. In turn, they have trained over 13,000 civilians, including 1,500 humanitarian deminers, 3,500 firefighters, and 8,000 other civilians. Additionally, more than 40,000 military personnel have been trained in tactical medicine,” says Serhii Chumachenko, the founder and principal of Vovchok Folk High School and project leader for the Civil Protection Faculty.

About the Tactical Medicine Course

“In a tactical medicine course, the most important skills include learning how to stop bleeding, pack a wound, and act step-by-step in emergency situations. Participants also learn how to clear airways and call emergency services properly. Everyone at an accident scene should know what to do, step by step,” explains Olena Shved.

“As the head of a surgical medical centre, I have chosen to send all my colleagues to this training. They teach how to stop bleeding in a highly interactive way, showing that anyone can do it. The course focuses not just on theoretical learning but on embedding the knowledge into practice so that participants don’t freeze up in a real situation. My colleagues were thrilled—almost like children—because the atmosphere of the course was so engaging, and they felt confident they could apply the skills in practice,” says Shved.

The Importance of the Swedish Folk High School Model and MSB

The Swedish folk high school model has been extremely important to the project, Shved explains:
“At the beginning of the project, we visited Sweden and attended training sessions on folk high school pedagogy. It was so different from the old Soviet model, which focused solely on lectures and theory. We brought back an educational approach to Ukraine that emphasises discussion, daring to make mistakes and analyse them, and encouraging participants to ask questions and provide feedback.”

Chumachenko adds that Swedish support was vital to the project’s success:
“At the start of the project, we were advised by nearly every country to send our staff abroad for training. But we couldn’t do this because all the team’s volunteers were of military age and had no right to travel outside Ukraine. Only MSB responded with a short letter saying: ‘Give us the dates, location, and main theme—we are ready to come.’ It meant so much that they were able to meet us on our terms.”

The Course’s Importance for Ukraine

“I would say this course is crucial for Ukraine. The government doesn’t have enough resources to work with the civilian population, so every citizen in Ukraine needs to acquire knowledge on how to help themselves. Trainers educate people locally so they can assist each other until an ambulance arrives. Some villages are far from hospitals, and in those cases, our survival depends on this knowledge,” says Olena Shved.

Key Learnings

“One of the most significant results of the project has been the establishment of an international working group, which has been instrumental in changing state rescue service protocols and improving national support for training mine clearance personnel”, Chumachenko says.

“For me, it has been deeply inspiring to see how the project contributes to the development of democracy. People have realised they can make a difference themselves and shouldn’t just wait for the government to act. I’ve seen this project foster a growing sense of civic responsibility and cooperation, showing that we can create safety together. To me, this sense of responsibility is the foundation for building a happier, more democratic society.”

As a doctor, Shved also reflects on the effectiveness of short, targeted training programmes:
“Despite many years of formal studies, I’ve learned that it’s possible to teach very effective short programmes for training both instructors and ordinary people. It’s impressive to see such an important field being driven by non-governmental organisations and volunteers.”

Memories from workshops

“I come from a village not far from Kyiv, and we asked the trainers to hold sessions for the residents there. It was the weekend before Easter, traditionally a time in Ukraine when women prepare their homes. Two groups participated: one with young men learning tactical medicine, and later in the day, a group of women—teachers, doctors, and many others who came with their children. It moved us to tears. These women, who would usually be baking cakes for Easter, joined the training to learn how to save their neighbours. The nearest village had been occupied, so everyone understood how important it was to be able to save lives,” Shved recalls.

Future Plans

“In 2025–2026, we plan to open one or two additional civil protection centres in the Rivne and Lviv regions. The school has visited Finland to seek partners for these new folk high schools and has held discussions with organisations in Finland, Sweden, and Norway. The core idea is to have a local leader in Ukraine connected to a mentoring organisation in a Nordic country.
The long-term goal is to have folk high schools in every city, where adult education can strengthen communities. Already, many of those trained are moving on to voluntary work or professional roles as firefighters or humanitarian deminers,” says Chumachenko.