Ana María Bolege, nine months pregnant in Peru

Video: Peru creates a special place for expectant mothers to wait — and wait

In rural Peru, women are encouraged to spend their last weeks of pregnancy in special residential facilities that offer comfort and care. But the waiting remains difficult.

The World

To prevent women from giving birth at home, where they face a higher risk of death, Peru has established a network of maternal "waiting houses." These residential facilities host women from rural areas during their final weeks of pregnancy, so they can give birth in the presence of skilled attendants. Ana María Bolege, 21, has come to a waiting house in the Andean town of Ayacucho, three hours by road from her home.

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