ZORZOR — From the outskirts of Zorzor, where expectant mothers were meant to find comfort and lifesaving care, four concrete structures sit quietly along the Fissebu-Voinjama highway. Birds flutter through open window frames, grass creeps toward the roofs, and passing vehicles offer the only movement around buildings meant to shelter life at its most fragile moment.
These structures were constructed under former President George Manneh Weah's pro-poor housing initiative as maternal waiting homes--safe spaces where pregnant women nearing delivery could stay close to medical services. Years later, however, the buildings remain idle, unused, and increasingly symbolic of missed opportunities.
The maternal waiting homes were born out of promises made during President Weah's June 2021 tour of Lofa County. At the time, his administration pledged targeted development projects aimed at reducing maternal mortality and easing access to healthcare for rural women.
Under the Liberia Agency for Community Empowerment (LACE), construction officially began on July 29, 2022. Government officials assured residents that the project would be completed by late 2022 or early 2023, raising hopes among communities that long journeys during labor would soon be a thing of the past.
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A Project Left Unfinished
Those deadlines passed without explanation. Today, the buildings appear only 80 to 85 percent complete. Doors and windows are installed, but there is no electricity, no running water, no septic system, and no visible sign that the facilities were ever commissioned or turned over to the Ministry of Health.
While six units were reportedly planned, only two were constructed within the Curran Lutheran Hospital compound. The remaining four were built several kilometers away along the highway--a decision that local officials now admit critically weakened the project's purpose.
Zorzor District Commissioner Paul R. Kalama said the distance alone discouraged use of the facility. "The idea itself was good, but the location defeated the purpose," he explained. "A pregnant woman cannot stay far from town, go into labor at night, and struggle to reach the hospital."
Kalama added that the project was never formally completed nor officially handed over to the district or health authorities, leaving responsibility unclear and the structures effectively abandoned.
Safety concerns have also been raised. The buildings sit close to a busy highway and near ongoing road construction, posing risks for pregnant women, especially at night or during emergencies.
Women Groups Welcome Project, Question Location
Despite the challenges surrounding the project, women groups in Zorzor District say they still welcome the idea of the Maternal Waiting Home, even as they express concern about where it was built.
Two women's groups, the Come and See Group and the Kukaju Group, recently told The Liberian Investigator that the facility, located between Zorzor and Fessibu, is a positive step that could help save the lives of pregnant women once it becomes operational.
Members of the groups said the waiting home would be especially helpful for women who live far from health facilities and often struggle to reach care in time when labor begins.
"When the government finishes the work, it will be good for pregnant women in Zorzor and nearby areas," the women said.
However, they also raised concerns about the distance between the waiting home and Curran Lutheran Hospital. According to them, the original plan under the previous government was to construct such facilities closer to the hospital so that pregnant women could easily access doctors, nurses, and emergency services.
They explained that locating the waiting home near the hospital would make it safer for expectant mothers, especially during labor or medical emergencies.
Even so, both groups said they are prepared to use the facility once it is completed and equipped. They also pledged to encourage other women in the district to take advantage of it.
"We are ready to go there when the government finishes it completely," they said. "We will also encourage our fellow women to use it."
Health Authorities Left Out
At Curran Lutheran Hospital, the silence surrounding the project is equally telling. Hospital Administrator Sumo Woyea told The Liberian Investigator that the hospital was never officially informed that the highway structures were intended as maternal waiting homes.
"We only heard it as a rumor from the community," Woyea said. "There was no formal communication, nothing from the district health team or authorities."
Woyea clarified that the two units built within the hospital compound were not maternal waiting homes, but staff quarters requested by the hospital due to accommodation shortages. Those units, he said, were later completed by the hospital and are now occupied.
On the possibility of managing a maternal waiting home far from the hospital, Woyea was cautious, stressing that any such decision would require formal handover, clear protocols, and direction from the Ministry of Health.
Michael Ude, a district health official, said his team was never consulted during planning or construction. "We only became aware after construction," he said, describing the site as bushy, unused, and unsuitable for maternal care.
"For a maternal waiting home, there are requirements--midwives, emergency access, and proximity to a health facility," Ude added. "That place is not near any health facility."
Ude noted that discussions are ongoing to possibly repurpose the structures for office space or staff housing, pending county approval, but emphasized that maternal use is currently unrealistic.
Women Speak: Hope Meets Hesitation
Interviews with women from surrounding communities reveal differing views on the usefulness of the facility sharply. Garmai Beyan, an expectant mother, expressed optimism about the project's underlying idea.
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"If the home is complete and starts functioning, I will have no problem living there until the time for me to give birth," Beyan said. "It will help us avoid stress and danger when labor starts."
But Krubo Zarwu, another pregnant woman, strongly disagreed. She described the distance as a major barrier. "I will not live there," Zarwu said. "The distance is too far for a pregnant woman to be staying away from home."
Decisions That Shaped the Outcome
Former Zorzor Mayor Garmai Gbelee confirmed that the site was selected through engagement with customary landowners. She said the project was designed mainly for women traveling from communities such as Fessebu, Zelemai, and Wuoze.
Former District Commissioner Joseph Bedell said the highway site was chosen in anticipation of building a government hospital between Fessebu and Zorzor.
However, when finger pointed at the official who selected the site on the grounds that a future hospital would be constructed there, LACE Executive Director Pepci Yeke neither confirmed nor denied the claim. When contacted for clarification on the project's value, the reasons for choosing the site, and its close proximity to the highway, Yeke promised to provide further details, including the amount spent on the construction, but he has not responded despite multiple follow-ups via WhatsApp.
Today, the maternal waiting homes stand silent -- caught between plans that never matured and realities that communities continue to face.
