History

It was a small group of committed people with and without HIV/AIDS who came together in 1985. It soon became clear that it was not enough to work politically. Initially, counselling was offered privately once a week in the evenings for two hours by telephone with the aim of making factual information available to people worried by the scaremongering in the media at the time.

Only six months later, the growing demand for information exceeded the possibilities. Office space was rented and a social worker was hired. This was the beginning of the professional counselling centre AIDS-Hilfe Karlsruhe e.V.

Today, ZeSIA, under the auspices of AIDS-Hilfe Karlsruhe e.V., is a recognised and established health promotion institution and, as a centre for sexual health, identity and education, is open to all people from the region of Mittlerer Oberrhein with a wide range of services.