The Ukrainian Red Cross opens an accessible and inclusive First Aid Training Centre in Kyiv
The Ukrainian Red Cross has opened a First Aid Training Centre — a specialised space for training instructors and trainers, developing modern teaching methods, and strengthening first aid training capacity in Ukraine.
During the opening event, participants were introduced to what the new Centre has to offer, its training resources and key areas of work.
“For us, opening this Centre is an investment not simply in infrastructure, but in people’s ability to save lives. Since the start of the full-scale invasion, almost 500,000 people have received first aid training from the Ukrainian Red Cross. Our task is to scale up this knowledge, strengthen the professional training of instructors, and foster a culture of first aid in Ukraine, where knowing how to respond in a critical situation is a basic skill for everyone,” said Maksym Dotsenko, President of the Ukrainian Red Cross.
Today, the Ukrainian Red Cross has more than 500 first aid instructors, while the organisation’s certified programmes are recognised in 191 countries worldwide. In addition, the 8th First Aid Summer School, held in 2026, brought together 107 instructors and trainers from across Ukraine.
The Training Centre will serve as a hub for the systematic training and professional development of instructors and trainers, piloting new teaching approaches, sharing experience, and further developing Ukrainian expertise in the field of first aid.
“We want the Centre to become a place where we do not simply teach first aid protocols, but continuously improve the quality of training itself. Here, we will be able to train instructors, test new methods, develop inclusive approaches, and share this experience with the regions. The more highly trained instructors we have, the more people across Ukraine will gain practical skills that could one day save someone’s life,” said Nadiia Yamnenko, Head of First Aid at the Ukrainian Red Cross.
An important area of the Ukrainian Red Cross’s work is the development of inclusive first aid training. In 2026, the organisation presented a research and methodological study and an updated methodology for making training programmes, materials, learning spaces and practical exercises accessible to people with different types of disabilities.
This Ukrainian expertise has already received international recognition. In 2026, the Ukrainian Red Cross won the European stage of the First Aid World Cup in the Innovative First Aid and Resuscitation category, competing against 162 teams from 85 National Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies. The organisation then represented Europe in the global final in Dubai.
The opening of the Training Centre marks the next step in developing the Ukrainian Red Cross first aid system and creating the conditions for even more people across Ukraine to access high-quality, modern and inclusive first aid knowledge and skills.
