GIRLS: WOMEN TOO EARLY

Christine, 17-years-old, got married when she was 15, lost her first child when she was 16, and she is now seven months pregnant. Rose, 16-years-old, is currently breastfeeding first child of five months. Africa has the world's highest rate of adolescent pregnancy, a factor that affects the health, education, and earning potential of millions of African girls.

Christine dropped out of school in secondary two and Rose dropped out at the end of primary six, both due to a lack of financial availability from their families. Christine and Rose live in a very remote and rural area in the tropical highland forest in Cameroon, making their living through farming cocoa. They represent thousands of teenage mothers in Cameroon.

Тrailer

Paolo Patruno is a social documentary photographer and film director. For more than a decade, he has traveled across Africa documenting global topics including health, human rights, gender equality, and women's empowerment. Since 2011, he has been working on a
long—term project called «Birth is a Dream», which raise awareness of maternal health in Africa, as well as spread the issue to developed countries. His work has been awarded internationally.