Estonian Sexual Health Association (ESHA) is a non-governmental organisation, which was founded in 1994. The purpose of ESHA is to improve and promote sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR) of the people living in Estonia. Since 1995 the ESHA is a member of International Planned Parenthood Federation (IPPF) and adheres to its policies. ESHA promotes sexual and reproductive health and rights as defined on UN Cairo Conference of Population and Development (1994) and is committed among other aims to obtaining equal rights for women, and to their empowerment.

ESHA has a wide-based volunteer membership including physicians, nurses, psychologists, journalists, school health educators, students, etc., altogether more than 100 persons. Young members of the ESHA form a small Youth Group that carries out its activities independently.

The Association has a Board of nine volunteers and an office in Tallinn currently with nine staff persons. Volunteer contribution is used and part-time project coordinators are hired according to the need to support the staff.

Since the establishment of the Association the priority activities have been those directed to improve the sexual and reproductive health of young people and women living in Estonia: to prevent unwanted pregnancies and spread of STIs and also reduce risk behaviour and violence in partnerships and increase the public awareness on SRHR issues. Altogether more than 50 projects are carried out by ESHA in last 10 years. Main focus of activities is on youth SRHR education and sexual health counselling, but also a number of targeted programmes have been carried out (addressing e.g disabled people or victims of sexual violence). Information and education materials to different target groups have been created and published as well as training courses in different issues have been carried out. A network of youth counselling centres has been established all over Estonia which operates under ESHA coordination. In 2003 ESHA also opened its Sexual Health Clinic to provide integrated services for adult target group. In addition SRHR primary counselling is provided through ESHA home page www.amor.ee.

ESHA main and biggest projects:

- „Reproductive health counselling and prevention of STI-s”
There are 19 Youth Counselling Centres (YCC) in Estonia. In Youth Counselling Centres we are offering free individual sexual – and reproductive health counselling for young people (for girl and boys) under the age of 24. Purpose is better availability to Youth Counselling Service, to raise usability of service retain and develop quality of counselling, to raise young people awareness in sexual- and reproductive health questions and thereby achieve more responsible sexual-behaviour of young people and to minimise the number of unwanted pregnancies and STD-s among young people.
See case study:  "Amor Youth Clinic Network in Estonia"

- Youth internet counseling- throught ESHA web-page www.amor.ee

Project goal is to create with young people open environment for dialogs about sexual-life issues and through positive messages to raise awareness in sexuality field;
- to offer for young people family planning and sexual-health information and free –anonymous counselling, what would support responsible behaviour in risk-situation;

- to offer for young people acceptable information about contraceptives and how to prevent STI; also information about Youth Counselling Centres;

- there are almost 40 specialist in internet-counselling team, who are answering letters were are recieveing

- to provide continuity of prevention-work we have made theretofore and availability of information; to develop and complete quality-standards of web counselling through web-page www.amor.ee and to develop sustainability of action which is based on project.


- HIV/AIDS prevention programme among school
HIV/AIDS prevention, lessen risk-behaviour general sexual education and to raise awareness among sexual- and reproductive-health area.


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Projects in 2007