ESTONIAN SEXUAL HEALTH ASSOCIATION

PROJECTS in 2007

I „Reproductive health counseling and prevention of STI-s” (2007-2008)

Financed by: Estonian Health Insurance Fund
Target group: Young people (girls and boys) under the age of 25 from all over Estonia

In Youth Counseling Centers we are offering free individual sexual – and reproductive health counseling for young people (for girl and boys) under the age of 24. Purpose is better availability to Youth Counseling Service, to raise usability of service retain and develop quality of counseling, 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.
One of the most vulnerable risk-groups in Estonia in the context of HIV and STIs is 15-24 year olds (look HIV/AIDS chapter). According to the Statistical Office of Estonia in 1th of January 2007 there were 207 320 young people aged 15-24 years in Estonia, among them 49% girls and 51% boys. It is important to promote young people’s sexual health by sexual education, sexual health counseling and creating youth friendly services to improve availability and quality of contraceptives. A positive and tolerant attitude of society towards adolescents sexuality is equally important.
Two most important sexual and reproductive health services, which are addressed to young people, are youth counseling centers and internet youth counseling through www.amor.ee.
First Youth Counseling Centre (YCC) was opened in 1991. Thereafter network has escalated gradually and today we have 18 AMOR Youth Counseling Centers all over Estonia offering services for young people.

Estonian Sexual Health Association (ESHA) is like an umbrella for Youth Counseling Centers and development of YCC is ESHA’s priority from the beginning when organization was founded.

In 2007, there were 28 656 visits in Youth Counseling Centers all over Estonia. 96% of visitors were girls and 4% were boys. 21% of all visits were young people, who visit YCC first time.

Young people of both gender up to the age of 25 can turn to a youth counseling centre without any fee. Contraceptive and sexual counseling, STI/HIV testing, pre-and post-abortion counseling, counseling for rape victims, and also sexual education lectures for mainly school-pupils are offered there. The services in youth counseling centers include medical, social and psychological counseling.



II "Youth internet counseling"

Financed by: Estonian Health Insurance Fund

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

Activities:
- youth internet counseling through ESHA web-site www.amor.ee “Ask advice”
- to ensure quality of internet counseling
- development of www.amor.ee



III „HIV/AIDS prevention programme among school students

Financed by: Global Fond

Goal: HIV/AIDS prevention, general sexual education and to raise awareness among sexual- and reproductive-health area. Target-group is Russian speaking school-children from 5th to 12 grade, Project ended 30th of September 2007, total number of students was 16 650. In addition to training for students, trainings, supervision and seminars were carried out for lecturers. Last 3 months in 2007, the lectures were financed by National Institute for Health Development (6 876 students were trained).

Competition for students: theatre-festival, treatise – and creativity work on „HIV/AIDS- myths and reality“ theme. Competition ended with big Student Conference „Armastuse terviseks 2007!” (“For Health and Love”)