FROM CONNECTIONS TO ACTION: BUILDING RESILIENCE THROUGH COLLABORATION
The summer school is organised within the framework of the Ukraine Act4Health Project, sponsored by the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC) and led by a consortium of GFA Consulting Group and Geneva University Hospitals (HUG). The event is implemented in collaboration with Women’s Health and Family Planning and OneHealth, bringing together Ukrainian and Swiss expertise to contribute to a stronger and more resilient healthcare system in Ukraine.
The school brought together 78 participants from 22 regions of Ukraine, representing healthcare, civil society, education, local government, and other sectors. They were joined by representatives from the Embassy of Switzerland in Ukraine, the Ministry of Health of Ukraine, the World Bank, city councils and local NGOs. In total, 143 participants, speakers, organisers and guests contributed to a diverse learning and networking environment built around one shared principle: sustainable recovery, better health and stronger communities require collaboration across sectors.
This approach contributes directly to the Swiss Cooperation Programme for Ukraine 2025-2028, particularly its focus on strengthening public services and institutions, developing local capacities, and supporting inclusive and locally driven solutions. By connecting professionals who deliver and shape health, education, social and community services, the Ukraine-Swiss Summer School translated these priorities into practical cooperation.
At the same time, the school supports the direction of Ukraine’s national health priorities, including the prevention of noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) through stronger community engagement and a life-course approach to health, which recognises that health and development are shaped by biological, social, economic, and environmental factor acting throughout an individual's life from before birth, through childhood, adolescence, adulthood, and older age. Preventing NCDs requires action beyond the health sector: creating supportive environments, strengthening health literacy and mental well-being, encouraging healthy lifestyles and physical activity, and addressing health needs at different stages of life.
Building capacities for healthier, more resilient communities
This years’ programme addressed interconnected challenges affecting health and resilience in Ukraine, including prevention of non-communicable diseases, mental health and burnout prevention, rehabilitation, veteran support and inclusion, adaptive sports, community resilience, leadership, communication, innovation and the responsible use of AI. These topics are particularly relevant when helping communities respond to the long-term consequences of war.
The cross-sectoral format was, therefore, an important part of the school. Participants explored how healthcare, education, civil society, social services and local government can work together rather than addressing community needs separately. This collaboration can help move health promotion and NCD prevention closer to where people live, learn and work.
From learning to collaboration
Participant feedback demonstrated both the relevance of the programme and a strong willingness to put new connections into practice. The usefulness of the programme and the summer school format received an average score of 4.9 out of 5, while 99% of respondents would recommend a similar experience. Most importantly, 86% reported being ready to implement cross-sectoral partnership initiatives following the school, identifying concrete opportunities for collaboration.
Turning connections into local action
To help transform this readiness into tangible results, participating Swiss-Ukrainian projects joined forces to launch a joint call for mini-grants, enabling summer school participants to develop collaborative initiatives together. The mini-grant mechanism creates a bridge between learning and implementation, giving participants an opportunity to turn new professional relationships and cross-sectoral ideas into locally owned initiatives that respond to community needs. In this way, the Ukrainian-Swiss Summer School is more than a learning event. It is an investment in the people, partnerships and local capacities behind a healthier and more resilient Ukraine supporting collaboration that can move from connection, to action, to sustainable community impact.
> Learn more about the Swiss Cooperation Programme for Ukraine 2025-2028
> Learn more about the NCD project, phase 2
> Watch a video recording from this years’ summer school
