This reportage was commissioned by UNICEF Cameroon and was shot in different villages of the Central Region in 2017.
Improving reproductive, maternal , newborn and child health is significant challenge in Cameroon. Cameroon's maternal mortality ratio is among the highest in the world (782 per 100,000 live births and its newborn mortality ratio (31 per 1000 live births ) and child mortality ratio (122 per 1000 live births ) are above the average for Sub Saharan Africa as a whole. Access to basic and comprehensive emergency obstetric and newborn care services remains very limited and mostly of poor quality in most parts of the country due to lack of essential supplies, infrastructure and skilled health personnel, along with increasing cost of providing care.
Also abortion rates are high among girls under their 20s, 14% of them did not take any antenatal visit and 40% of them delivers at home. Addressing issues regarding adolescent reproductive health, comprehensive sexual health education and youth friendly service delivery, will greatly impact the reduction of maternal mortality and HIV infection within this group.