Following a successful pilot year in 2025, a decision has been taken to continue the Famia Fuerte project in 2026. Famia Fuerte is a collaborative project involving Mental Health Caribbean (MHC), the Expertise Centre for Education Care (Expertisecenter Onderwijs Zorg Bonaire, EOZ), Care and Youth Caribbean Netherlands (Zorg en Jeugd Caribisch Nederland, ZJCN) and Sentro Akseso.
The focus of the project is on developing new forms of assistance for families on Bonaire who are facing multiple and interrelated challenges. A great deal was learnt during the first pilot year about this approach and the assistance provided has produced excellent results.
The aim of Famia Fuerte is to strengthen and support families so that children can continue to live at home for as long as possible. The project also wants to help children who have been placed in care to go back to living at home in a safe and stable way. All the health professionals involved work together closely and with the family when it comes to assessing their needs. This involves drawing on expertise from areas such as mental health care, education, youth care and social work. The support is practical, flexible and provided in people’s homes, including outside office hours.
The families who are participating in the Famia Fuerte project are often facing multiple issues. “At the same time, they have the strength and possibilities to take steps in the right direction,” according to Jaco de Rapper, a behavioural scientist at ZJCN. We can facilitate positive change by working together to bring a sense of calm to the situation, as well as by providing perspective and practical solutions. During the first pilot year, it transpired that families are becoming easier to reach, are becoming more trusting of the support provided and are cooperating more actively.
Project leader Anouk van Wincoop considers the second pilot year to be an important next step. The organisations involved will continue to work together on the further development and strengthening of this approach.
Famia Fuerte has enabled a range of assistance to be provided on Bonaire that aligns with the daily reality that families have to deal with. The second pilot year is an opportunity to continue developing this approach so that families can count on receiving appropriate and effective support in the future as well.