This film highlights the life-saving impact of PeriGen’s AI technology in Malawi, showcasing how it has drastically reduced neonatal and stillbirth rates at Area 25 Health Centre.

I worked as the Director of Photography / Cinematographer and Photographer on this project.

Childbirth is universal, yet deeply personal. In Malawi’s labour ward, I saw mothers radiant with expectation and vulnerability, and was reminded of my own children’s births—the fear, the magic, the intensity. That shared human experience shaped my week. Malawi continues to face some of the world’s toughest maternal health challenges.

At Area 25 Health Centre in Lilongwe—serving around 250,000 people and supporting roughly 20 deliveries a day—midwives work under immense pressure to care for mothers and babies. A transformative addition has been an AI-assisted fetal monitoring system, developed with Baylor, the Malawi Ministry of Health, and PeriGen.

By continuously analysing fetal heart rate and contractions, it translates complex data into simple alerts, helping midwives identify distress early and act quickly. In a busy ward where constant expert interpretation isn’t always possible, the system provides consistent, real-time support. The result has been earlier intervention, fewer preventable complications, and a meaningful reduction in stillbirths and early neonatal deaths.