Estonia

Estonia is located in eastern Europe on the Baltic Sea bordering Latvia and Russia. The capital is Tallinn. In 2004 the population was estimated to be 1.3 million with a growth rate of -0.66 percent. The official language is Estonian, while Russian, Ukraininan , and Finnish are also spoken.

Since the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991, Estonia has thrown itself into the European community. It has joined NATO and the World Trade Organisation and became a member of the European Union this year. While population is decreasing and unemployment is ten percent, the GDP growth rate is 4.7 percent. Estonia still has an external debt of almost four billion pounds, and last received sixty million pounds in international aid in 2000. After the initial fall of the Soviet Union there was concern over the assistance available for street children, mostly focusing on health and living arrangements. There are still problems for street children in Estonia today, but overall conditions have greatly improved.

Members

SOS Children's Villages

Publications

Life without Basic Service ''Street Children Say''
This study builds on the learning of Street Diary (Save the Children UK, 2001), giving theopportunity for a group of children to represent their own analysis of their situation. Itexamines the human and emotional dimension of life on the street. This is not astatistical or quantitative research but is representative of the feelings of children livingon the street about their lives and organisations working with them.

Networking for Policy Change: An Advocacy Training Manual

Organizational Diagnosis for Advocacy
When groups are considering advocacy, it is helpful for them to assess what advocacy actually can offer their organization, what some of the benefits and risks might be and what organizational barriers might influence their success.

Resources