BIRTH IS A DREAM is a documentary film that was shot across DRC, Malawi and Uganda, in 2011 and 2012.
In Sub-Saharan Africa 200.000 mothers die every year from complications with regards to pregnancy and childbirth. If a mother dies, it is a human tragedy, affecting families and communities. Her death will put the lives of a surviving newborn and any other young children at risk; a mother's death will make it harder for the family to obtain life's necessities and escape the consequences of poverty. Most of these these deaths could be prevented, if the women have access to quality prevention, diagnostic, and treatment services.
"Birth is a dream - Maternity in Africa" aims to document and raise awareness about the maternity crisis in Sub-Saharan Africa.
The project is the work of Paolo Patruno, an Italian social/documentary photographer and videomaker.
“ I started my project in Malawi, where the words for pregnancy in the local language—'pakati' and 'matenda'—translate into 'between life and death' and 'sick'.
That’s where I met an English midwife, Rachel MacLeod, who practiced for nearly 14 years in Spain before moving to Malawi to work as a senior clinical midwife in the labor ward of the Bwaila Hospital, in the capital Lilongwe; she opened my eyes to the maternal health crisis in Africa. “
"Birth is a dream" is dedicated to all the mothers of Africa
"Birth is a dream" is dedicated to all the mothers of Africa
photography & video
PAOLO PATRUNO
editing & postproduction
PAOLO PATRUNO
The images are from "Birth is a dream"
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