First aid, making and extinguishing fires, rifle shooting, and how to manage in the forest were taught on the two-day course, Sunday's "Aktuaalne kaamera" reported.

"The medical side, for example, appeals to me, but the shooting experience was also cool. Each workshop sparked curiosity and motivation," said Kadi Parve, who participated in the exercise.

More than 200 people, who are not members of the WVDO, took part in the camp. The knowledge learned on the first day, such as how to start a fire, was put to the test on the second day.

"It's not really difficult, it's just that handling a match is very unfamiliar and there are many different types. It's a matter of finding the one that's most comfortable for your hand and where the spark comes out best," said Tiina-Mai Liiv, a member of the WVDO.

"We packed a crisis bag so that if we had to leave home in a hurry, we had what to take with us. Yesterday we did the training, we were instructed, but today was the practical part," said Anne Somelar, who participated in the exercise.

She said the women taking part in the session were very nice, which even made spending a rainy night in a tent a pleasant experience.

According to the main organizer of the camp, Janika Praks, the participants experienced real military weather during the two-day exercise.

"We have had both sunshine and a thunderstorm during the night. The campers got to experience what happens when the tents are not put up properly. Water gathers in the tents, and a couple of tents collapsed. Based on what they had been taught the day before, they evacuated and started to make tea in the stoves on the fireplace at night, until our perimeter guard spotted them and evacuated them to a warm place to sleep in the hut. In that sense it was a real evacuation exercise," she described.

WVDO's partners in Finland also took part. Heli Eräkorpi, who traveled to Estonia for the training, said: "Things are done very differently here than in Finland. We have learned a lot, and we have gained a lot of new experiences. The same is certainly true in the opposite situation, when the Estonian Women's Voluntary Defense Organization come to Finland for exercises. We learn on both sides."

The camp's goal is to raise awareness and readiness for crisis situations.

"First of all, know how to help yourself, help your loved ones, then offer help to the woman next door, and maybe contribute to national defense more broadly," said Praks.

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