The House of the Life is a non profit organization whose main objective is to provide medical and gynaecology care, family counselling, for pregnant women and adolescents in addition to protecting the to unborn children with particular emphasis to the lower socioeconomic groups were both the women’s and children’s life is at significant risk. The service has been organized to cope with all aspects that require permanent supervision such as medical and psychological, as well as family and spiritual counselling. The House of the Life will have daily capacity to provide medical attention to approximately 90 pregnant women (teenagers included) and counselling to approximately to 50% of those women.
This project aims to reduce Ecuador’s high maternal and infant mortality rates which are commonly caused by:
1. Lack of affordable Health Care Facilities,
2. Lack of education or knowledge of minimum healthcare during early pregnancy stages.
3. Poor social and family environment consequently nutritional aspects during pregnancy can not be fulfilled.
4. Few health care institutions and maternity centres in marginal urban and rural areas cause the “three delays”, delay in seeking care, delay in arriving at health care facility and delay in receiving care.
The infant mortality rate (as provided by the United Nations) is 41 deaths per 1000 live births. The rate in all South American countries is 33 per 1000 live births.
Ecuador has to keep on looking forward to shrink maternal mortality figures with the participation of public and private health institutions together with international organizations. We are still far from coping with demand but as Rotarians we can set the trail for community benefit.
According to the Ecuadorian Statistical Agency disorders like Toxaemia (pre-eclampsia) (33, 25%), haemorrhage (21, 6%), abortions (5,6%) and risk factors associated to postpartum (5,2%), constitute the main causes of the maternal deaths. Statistics show that abortion incidence in adolescents has increased (SODEM, 2005).
The main cause of infant death are Preterm and low birth weight babies originated by diseases related to gestational and inadequate fetal growth (11.5%), and pneumonia (9.1%). It is evident, that the low social and economic level of these women and the difficulties accessing specific health and social services are contributing factors to the maternal mortality in Ecuador. | 
