Shivering scene of giving birth in a deprived medical facility in Africa

When social documentary photographer Paolo Patruno lived in Malawi for six months, a midwife told him about maternal health problems in Africa. Here, Patruno has the opportunity to visit public and private hospitals in rural areas, participate in training classes for midwives and nurses. He even visits pregnant women and mothers in the villages.

And from there, the series “Birthe is a Dream” was born, inspired by the combined experiences, raising awareness of the photographer about maternal health issues in Africa. Since 2011, Patruno has documented the situation in sub-Saharan Africa, including Ethiopia, Malawi, Uganda and the Democratic Republic of the Congo, where 200,000 mothers die from complications during pregnancy and childbirth each year. .

A pregnant woman on the delivery table prepares to give birth in a rundown medical facility.

Newborn baby is breastfed by mother with first drops of milk

Through her series of photos, Patruno takes readers inside poor and deprived maternity wards, health centers and clinics. To approach and capture this realistic set of photos, the photographer took a long process. In particular, a male photographer who wants to capture the most private moments in a woman’s life can be considered a challenging job.

In each encounter with a new character, Patruno must always pay close attention to their personal issues, respect their dignity and make a connection. To capture these intimate photos, he spent days infiltrating the maternity wards, talking to pregnant women, mothers, midwives and nurses.

A pregnant woman is waiting to give birth.

The midwife happily holds the newborn baby right at her home. There were only a few simple items around that she used to help pregnant women give birth.

The baby was wrapped in the mother’s sling, fast asleep.

Starting from a personal project, this feat of photography quickly attracted the attention of international NGOs such as Save The Children. Patruno is currently planning to continue to Africa as she feels that the issue of maternity health here is a complex topic and needs to explore more stories around it.

The first baby to cry was born

These images reflect the lack of maternal health care in sub-Saharan Africa, including Ethiopia, Malawi, Uganda and the Democratic Republic of the Congo.