Perinatal Mental Health Project

Perinatal Mental Health Project (PMHP)

PMHP works to lighten the mental health load carried by so many women – especially during and after pregnancy – by addressing common conditions like depression, anxiety and trauma.

Our vision
Better mental health and wellbeing for women during the perinatal period – leading to healthier mothers, stronger babies, and thriving families and communities.

Our approach
We take a layered, system-wide approach to make sure mental health care is part of everyday maternal and child health services. Our work is delivered through four key programmes:

1. Maternal Support Service
   Free, comprehensive mental health care for pregnant and postnatal women – including awareness, screening, counselling, case management and follow-ups. This service supports thousands of women and their babies at a high-volume midwife unit in a low-income, high-risk area of Cape Town.
2. Advocacy for Action
   We push for real policy change by partnering with government, policymakers and global networks. We use multimedia and strong public engagement to raise awareness and demand for care.
3. Knowledge Generation
   We create and share evidence that can shape policies, guidelines and practices – ensuring mental health is built into the system at scale.
4. Capacity Building
   We train and support frontline workers so they can provide better maternal mental health care. Our tools are practical, easy to use and embedded into training programmes for long-term impact.

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