Elly Hellings obtained her master’s degree in Sociology / Cultural Sciences at Tilburg University, with a specialization in emancipation and development of vulnerable groups. She also obtained a postgraduate degree in Communication Science from Wageningen University. Since 1999 she has lived and worked in Curaçao where she has held various research and program management positions as an independent researcher, in the fields of youth development, community development, education, poverty reduction and health. For CBHRI, she has worked as a researcher on both quantitative and qualitative components of the following projects: SONORO, COVIDCAS, and GGZ-Carib.