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”.

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.”

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.   

Famia Planea Aruba (FPA) is proud to be able to serve over 7,000 clients and celebrated its 50th anniversary in November 2020. FPA strives to live up to the motto, ‘Improving your quality of life’, by ensuring its healthcare provision is accessible to everyone.  One regular client is Christopher, an account manager at a local marketing agency. “I am truly a big fan of FPA, they are really good at being inclusive to men as well as women. The entire staff is very client orientated, I have never felt judged or discriminated against while using any of their services, or while at their office. They are always ready to answer any questions I may have or ease any concern.” FPA has built a strong bond of trust and communication with its clients by sharing regular updates on their work and projects.  “I try as much as possible to stay up-to-date with FPA, I have followed all of their projects so far and have really enjoyed them. I can still remember when I was younger and had my first girlfriend, FPA was my go-to for information, guidance, tips and tricks. They are very good at adapting to each situation, whether it is personal, local or even global”.  FPA places great emphasis on listening to the community it supports to better understand their needs. This enables the team to provide their clients with carefully researched and targeted healthcare.  “Over the years, FPA has gone above and beyond to provide both myself and my partner with information and contraceptives. Over the last few years, in addition to visiting their office, I can follow-up my consultation by asking them additional questions through their social media counseling or even the delivery service”, says Christopher.  

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.