When Jesus Ana Koreas gave birth to her son Nery, last September 5, in her community, she had no place to stay to receive care prior to delivery. Ana lives in the colony Atlacatl, Cantor. This is a place without public transportation that is quite difficult to access. Ms. Koreas said that it is not easy to cope with a pregnancy when you live in an area where there is no formal healthcare.

She had to walk almost a kilometer along an unsealed road. After that she took a bus to get to the Health unit of San Pedro in Chirilagua canton, which is 10 kilometers from her house.

It would be better for the expectant mother to go to the appropriate unit of the canton's Health Tecomatal. But to get there she would have to walk almost three miles along a lonely and dangerous road. Therefore, it was more practical chose to go to the clinic in Chirilagua.

Pregnant women living in at least nine cantons near where Ana lives have to plan everything, including how to get to the clinic. One of the necessary preparations is hiring someone who has a vehicle and is willing to take the mother to the hospital in San Miguel.

If the transfer is done at night, the owners of the cars charge up to $ 50 per trip.

One solution to alleviate the plight of mothers is a project being implemented by the Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA). The agency has already started to build two houses for expectant mothers. One of them will be used by women in the canton Cantor Two of San Miguel, and the other will benefit the inhabitants of the town of Corinth, in northern Morazan, which currently suffers from severe poverty. The houses will be operational in January 2009 and the agency also will provide Korean furniture and equipment needed for the care of mothers in the area. The basic idea is that women who are giving birth can be brought to these premises 10 days before delivery whereupon they will receive health care and free food.