Eva Mendes has visited rape victims in Sierra Leone as part of a new documentary.

The Hitch star jetted out to the African country earlier this month to spend time with women who have suffered sexual abuse and her trip was filmed for the upcoming Half the Sky, which will be narrated by George Clooney.

Mendes posted a picture from the trip on her Whosay.com page and urged fans to help raise awareness of the problems in Sierra Leone.

She writes: "I'm here in beautiful Sierra Leone, Africa. You wouldn't believe the amount of rapes among women here, especially little girls... This is all something we need to be aware of.

"Please help me spread the word. Much love."

Actresses Olivia Wilde, Diane Lane, America Ferrera and Nicole Kidman are also filming installments for the documentary.