Famia Planea Aruba (FPA) saw a gap in the market and developed its online store to better reach clients like Hilyann, a journalist, with an active lifestyle and work schedule.  FPA’s online store is open to members and non-members where they shop for their favorite FPA product in a worry- and hassle-free environment from the comfort of their own home, office, school or even on the go. Being able to order products online saves time and also supports those clients with limited access to transport.  “As a young professional, one of the challenges I often face is balancing my profession with my active lifestyle and practicing self-care. This is why I couldn’t be happier with FPA’s online store”, Hilyann says. The visually appealing online store is available in the local Aruban language, Papiamento. The site has been designed to provide quick access to various contraceptive methods, with supporting information to help clients make choices based on their needs. “It is so convenient and allows me to manage my time more efficiently, making it so much easier to be conscious of the necessary efforts with regards to my reproductive health. Above all, it allows me to focus on my personal goals, all while making the right choices when it comes to family planning”, she adds. Clients can browse a range of products and add their selections to the cart. At the check-out clients fill in their preferred time, date, and location for delivery. A confirmation email will be sent to the client while FPA starts to prepare the order for delivery.  “Shopping on the FPA online store makes me feel very in control and empowered. I hope that more people of all ages take advantage of this service. I hear far too often that people say they don’t have time, nobody has actually, but FPA is there for you. Take control of your sexual and reproductive health, empower yourself, be the boss of your time and your body”.

During the course of their studies, most students are required to develop projects and presentations about sexual and reproductive health. In the latter years of study, students start to prepare for more career-oriented studies and they are keen to learn more about how an organization like Famia Planea Aruba (FPA) operates.  As an NGO, FPA is a great source of support where students can learn more about the nature of social work including counseling, management, and get hands-on experience. The FPA team also support students to learn about its mission and vision, as well as management and structure nationally and internationally. It is an opportunity for them to learn that FPA is a of the International Planned Parenthood Federation (IPPF).  Students, Zavannah and Xian, are currently studying social work as one of their majors at the EPI vocational school. “FPA is one of our favorite organizations to work with, they are very accommodating to our deadlines and provide tailored information. We have already done various projects with them and we still choose FPA every chance we get”, Zavannah says. FPA offers internship opportunities for both vocational and university students. This experience can have a huge impact on a student, and some often go on to become part of the team.  “When we do school projects with FPA we can really get a view of what our futures as social workers can look like. We always receive answers to all our questions, they have always have their mission and vision statements at hand which for our projects are very important”, Zavannah adds. “We can always count on FPA to provide visual materials as well. We sometimes have to finalize our projects with different presentations and we can always ask for pictures, videos and graphs to make our project wonderful”, Xian comments. FPA places great value on its ability to inspire and support young people with their studies and future careers such as social work where they, in the future, can help and support others.

The inspiration for delivering comprehensive sexuality education to young people digitally was propelled by the COVID-19 lockdown. Like other frontline healthcare providers, Famia Planea Aruba (FPA) was faced with unforeseen challenges about how to continue reaching their communities. Undeterred, the small team of four embraced the challenge to create, develop, and launch FPA’s first Online Puberty Educational News Program (OPEN).  With a background in marketing and extensive management experience, FPA’s Executive Director Evelyn Yarzagaray, led the project and team to successfully bring the digital platform to life.  “In the last few years, FPA’s in-school Comprehensive Sexuality Education program was growing rapidly, and then all of a sudden we hit a wall; our Island was in complete lockdown and all schools were closed. At first, we were very sad, since we were fully booked for the upcoming few months, and would lose the opportunity to reach thousands of young people”, Evelyn remembers.  Typically, during April and May FPA usually focuses on students between the ages of 11 and 13 and supporting with the transition from elementary school to secondary school. At this age young people are starting to experience changes to their bodies and hormones.  “We were all of a sudden bombarded with parents who started requesting one-on-one counseling sessions for their kids, but due to safety regulations, this was not an easy option. That was when we started looking for a way to reach both parent and child in the safety of their own homes. By converting materials used during our in-person CSE’s we developed an educational video that can be viewed by both parent and child”, says Evelyn The OPEN platform has been designed with a colorful background, emojis, and animation to appeal to its target audience. Users can access valuable information through the FAQ section, international news, and video content such as an interview with a Family Physician.  “The filming and editing were the longest and most difficult part of the entire process, but once it was launched, we immediately saw that is was completely worth it, reaching over 42,000 people on social media”, Evelyn says.   

Christan Levene is committed to helping develop young people as advocates for change. Levene, 26, joined the Jamaica Family Planning Association (JFPA) Youth Advocacy Movement (YAM) in 2017 by virtue of being employed by the Association with YAM duties forming part of the job’s terms of reference. Levene, now the executive assistant and youth officer with the Association based at the administrative headquarters at the Lenworth Jacobs Clinic YAM complements each other in terms of helping to foster the transitioning and development of youth into -confident adults. “FAMPLAN provides the space or capacity for young people who they engage on a regular basis to grow — whether through outreach, rap sessions, educational sessions. The organization provides them with an opportunity to grow and build their capacity as it relates to advocating for sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR) amongst their other peers,” she said. Though Levene is no longer a member of the group, she remains connected to YAM and ensures she leads by example. Social connectedness “When you have young adults who are part of the organization, who lobby and advocate for the rights of other adults like themselves, then, on the other hand, you are going to have young people like Mario, Candice, and Fiona who advocate for people within their age cohort,” she said. She added, “Transitioning out of the group and working alongside these young folks, I feel as if I can still share some of the realities they share, have one-on-one conversations with them, help them along their journey and also help myself as well, because social connectedness is an important part of your mental health. This group is very, very, very dear to me.” With regards to its impact on her life, Levene said YAM helped her to become more of an extrovert and shaped her confidence. “I was more of an introvert and now I can get up (and) do a wide presentation and engage other people without feeling like I do not have the capacity or expertise to bring across certain issues,” she said. However, Levene shared that there is still a lot of sensitivity around SRHR topics, which limits the conversations YAM is able to have and at times may generate fear among some of the group members. “There are still certain sensitive topics that still present an issue when trying to bring it forward in certain spaces. Other challenges they [YAM members] may face are personal reservations. Although we provide them with the skillset, certain persons are still more reserved and are not able to be engaging in certain spaces. Sometimes they just want to stay in the back and issue flyers or something behind the scenes rather than being upfront,” she said. But as the main aim of the movement is to develop advocates out of members, Levene’s conviction is helping to strengthen YAMs capacity in this regard. “To advocate you must be able to get up, stand up and speak for the persons who we classify as the voiceless or persons who are vulnerable and marginalised. I think that is one of the limitations as well… Going out and doing an HIV test and having counselling is OK, but as it relates to really standing up and advocating, being able to write a piece and send it to Parliament, being able to make certain submissions like editorial pieces. That needs to be strengthened,” Levene said.

Dr. Stewart McKoy has dedicated his life to ensuring the needs of both men and women are equally represented in the provision of healthcare at the Jamaica Family Planning Association (JFPA). When Dr. McKoy returned to Jamaica from overseas medical studies in the 1980s, the frustration at the failure of many Jamaican males to use contraception was a continuing concern. This led to him making a strong case for vasectomies to be offered as part of JFPA’s contraceptive options. Whilst the initial response from local males was disheartening, Dr. McKoy took the grassroots approach to get the buy-in of males to consider contraception use. Getting men on board “Someone once said it’s only by varied reiteration that unfamiliar truths can be introduced to reluctant minds. We used to go out into the countryside and give talks. In those times, I came down heavily on men. I remember after one talk, when I was finished, the driver of the JFPA van said they [men] didn’t like what I was saying. I saw a bar outside and went, carried them in, and said drinks on me. By the second round they opened up and were receptive,” he said. The reception would form the catalyst he needed to ensure that men, too, benefitted from sexual and reproductive healthcare. Men were choosing vasectomies if they already had children and didn’t plan to have any more. In addition, Dr. McKoy was an instrumental voice in the Men’s Clinic that was formerly operated by JFPA and also encouraged the inclusion of women at the meetings, in order to increase male participation and uptake of healthcare. “When we as men get sick with our prostate it is women who are going to look after us. But we have to put interest in our own self to offset it before it puts us in that situation where we can’t help yourself. It came down to that and the males eventually started coming. The health education got out and men started confiding more in health services,” he said.   It could be a matter of life or death McKoy said it is important that women use contraception and take their sexual and reproductive health seriously. If neglected, Dr McKoy said it could be a matter of life or death. He refers to a case of a young mother who was complacent towards having pap smears and ended up dying a preventable death as a result of cervical cancer. “Over the years I saw the opportunity to do pap smears out of the clinic. The mobile unit gave us access to so many patients. We had persons who neglected to do it. One patient in particular - she was not yet 30 years old. She had three children and after every delivery, she was told by the hospital to do a pap smear. She didn’t do it and eventually got cervical cancer. When she was to do the pap smear, she didn’t come. One morning they brought her and had to lift her up out of the car. At that time doctors said they couldn’t do anything for her,” Dr. McKoy said while fighting back tears. “It wasn’t necessary. We had to go out more to meet people, educate them teach them the importance of sexual and reproductive health.” That experience was his driving force to continue the work in sexual and reproductive healthcare. Dr. McKoy said the message about family planning, sexual and reproductive health must be continued through education in community outreach projects.

The Youth Advocacy Movement (YAM) of St. Lucia Planned Parenthood Association (SLPPA) was recently recognised by the St. Lucia Government - Ministry of Youth Development and Sport, they received an award for Outstanding Youth Organization, which is given to an outstanding organization/group which has for the past 2 years achieved community, national or regional recognition in promoting youth development through its programmes and or policies. Currently, the organization is conducting exciting grassroots initiatives in Saint Lucia, such as youth training programmes within under-served communities island-wide and tackling a wide range of issues such as parenting, self-awareness, and gender-based violence. Now more than ever we support and encourage our young leaders as they educate and innovate in their communities, making sexual and reproductive education and health more accessible.  Follow them at www.instagram.com/yam_slu SLPPA aims to promote family welfare and reduce the incidence of unwanted pregnancies, particularly among adolescents, through a strengthened family life education programme and quality sexual and reproductive health (SRH) care services that complement government provision.

A passionate advocate for comprehensive sexuality education, Jonathan is Famia Planea Aruba’s (FPA) IEC coordinator and manages the scheduling, guiding, and delivery of school projects. As part of this role, he works closely with students to help support and shape their projects.  “We are approached almost on a daily bases, throughout the school year, by students needing appointments for their school projects. These projects can vary from information about sexual and reproductive health and rights to the internal structure of FPA as an organization. That is why it is very important to first ask what kind of project the student has been tasked with. Questions such as school, grade level, course name, number of students, project goal and due date are among just a few of the primary questions that must be asked when scheduling a school project”, Jonathan says. FPA has developed information packages that are topic-ready for most of the general projects. These are used as an information base, while the presentation and appointment are tailored to each individual student.  “We will sometimes receive multiple students or groups for the same project, this is bound to happen when an entire class receives the same project, it is then up to me to make each appointment different while providing the same information. Digital presentation is usually my tool of choice. This provides me the possibility to incorporate all the necessary information, but I can always make a few tweaks to personalize each presentation”, says Jonathan.  During project weeks at most of the schools, the FPA office can be busy with visiting students.  “After the start of the COVID-19 pandemic most of the school project appointments became digital meetings. Removing the human contact can sometime provide new challenges for both the students and us. This demands that the student be more prepared than before with sharper questions, since the traditional conversation that usually leads to more questions is different when using digital methods, but we will do our best to help the student in every way possible”, Jonathan mentions.  

Famia Planea Aruba’s (FPA) online store is a successful social enterprise initiative, which is now one of their most innovative approaches to healthcare provision. Developing and managing a fully operational digital store with the added option for live chat and product guidance and information has enabled FPA to expand its reach.  Marvin is an experienced IT specialist who studied Computer Engineering Technology at Valencia Community College in the U.S. An integral member of the team, Marvin maintains FPA’s website and manages the online stock availability, delivery schedules, and public information. He is also responsible for their social media platforms.  FPA’s expert and dedicated team work from the heart to ensure they are able to adapt and deliver healthcare digitally.   “When returning back to home base in Aruba, I decided to help out in different companies and projects to further the digitalization of all platforms on the island. FPA started with just a small website back in 2010 and has grown into different projects and a very up-to-date website and online store”, says Marvin. “I take pride in helping FPA being a very technology forward organization.”

Jeanira, 37, is a doctor’s assistant and has two young children aged two and 12. She has been a member of Famia Planea Aruba (FPA) for many years but only recently learned that FPA provides healthcare for all ages and stages of life – particularly young people.  “I am a mother of two wonderful children, a two-year-old boy and an almost twelve-year-old girl. As any parent does, I have to accept that my little girl is no longer so little and growing much faster than I am ready to accept. I do however try my best to be very open on accepting of her growth and changes in the hopes of helping her become her best self. About a year ago I had begun researching the best way and time to start talking to my daughter about her upcoming body changes, sexuality, and puberty in general”, Jeanira says.  Provision of sexual and reproductive healthcare for all, regardless of age, is at the core of FPA’s work. Over the years FPA has developed different information packages specifically aimed at reaching and supporting young people, families, and educators.   “There is of course endless information on the internet, but this is not always the most helpful since I now had the difficult task of filtering out what I saw as appropriate or not, as well as choosing trustworthy sources”, explains Jeanira. “During my search, a family member mentioned that she had seen a video on social media about puberty that was in our native language. After finding the video on FPA’s Facebook page and watching it myself first, I was over the moon. The video is fun, educational, featured local professionals, and related to my daughter’s age. I love the fact that I could introduce the video to her and let her watch it in her own comfort zone, just in case she was not in the mood to talk to me about the topic at hand or have me stare at her while she learned some of the most impactful changes heading her way. At the end, it did stimulate conversations and questions for a few days after and I truly made it easier for us to talk about some of the topics that can sometimes be a little hard to approach.”   Jeanira encouraged her 11-year-old daughter to use FPA’s OPEN program. “When my mom first told me she found a video for me to watch about puberty I was a bit scared. I do talk to my friends about some stuff, but talking to my mom sounded a bit awkward. My mom and I do talk a lot but I was still worried that it might get too deep. I didn’t think the video would be so funny”, Xiqiën remembers. “My favorite part was to be able to recognize some changes that I am going through right now. There are some changes that I would like to skip but I know it’s all part of the growing up process.”  “I’m so thankful that FPA had the idea to make such a fun video for us to learn from. There was some stuff that I already knew, but I also learned some new things. I did ask my mom a lot of questions after the video, mostly because they said that everyone is different and I really wanted to know how my mom is different from me. I don’t feel quite as worried to talk to my mom about these things anymore, I know that she will try to help.”  

During the 1970’s Aruba’s population was rapidly growing; yet one-third of all pregnancies were unplanned. With the arrival of Famia Planea Aruba (FPA), local communities were able to access health and contraceptive care. For more than 50 years FPA has evolved and adapted its healthcare provision to meet the needs of the growing and changing community. Access to contraception continues to be FPA’s most in demand healthcare provision.  “As a recently graduated Social Worker, I feel it is very important to provide both, men and women, with information and products regarding sexual and reproductive health and rights. We hear far too often that preventing an unwanted pregnancy should be the woman’s responsibility, especially from our male counterparts”, says Lisen, one of the Information, Education, and Communication Support Staff at FPA. During a one-on-one consultation at the FPA office, everyone is provided with information individual to their own needs as well as that of their partner. This information is provided by a trained IEC member of the team.  “I believe in the values of FPA, and that information is the key to health and a prosperous future. When counseling an individual, I try to take time to get to know the person the best I can in what is usually a short period. By building a trust relationship with each client they are more inclined to open up and ask the questions they truly need help with. What for one person might seem a small issue might be something huge for another one when as a counselor you are able to assess each individual, you can achieve so much”, Lisen says. What sets FPA apart from a pharmacy is the integrated care provision. This includes guidance provided with the contraceptives, the individually tailored care for each client, and working in close partnership with family practitioners, midwives and the local general health insurance provider. “There are some clients that you see so often that they almost become like family in a way, as soon as you see them you can already anticipate their needs. I am just 25 years old which means that some of the clients are my age, some older, some younger. Seeing someone you helped out in public and having them greet you or tell you that you did a great job helping them is such a wonderful feeling, I don’t know if I will ever get used to it”, Lisen says.