The purpose of the Casa Materna is to reduce the rising maternal and infant mortality rates. In this global "silent epidemic," a maternal death occurs every minute of the day. In Nicaragua alone, a maternal death occurs every 38 hours.

The Casa Materna provides a short-term residence in the city of Matagalpa, offering food, shelter, education, transportation and support for high-risk pregnant women 1-2 weeks before and after childbirth. While the births take place at the Regional Hospital in Matagalpa, the services of the Casa Materna allow the expectant mothers to be close to this needed medical attention which would otherwise take hours or days to reach from their rural homes.

Follow-up program: While we cannot follow up with every woman who comes through the Casa Materna doors, our team works with 12 rural communities. Health educators from the staff meet twice a year with the women in each community providing educational sessions, leadership training, and formation/follow-up of mutual support groups.

Outreach to Midwives: Our Midwife Outreach program works with over 400 parteras or midwives in the rural areas. Workshops for the midwives include continuing education on a variety of health related topics.

Outreach to Adolescents: Targets young teens with the goal of decreasing the number of teen pregnancies through various activities and programs.