Perinatal Mental Health Project (PMHP)

What Perinatal Mental Health Project (PMHP) does

Perinatal Mental Health Project (PMHP) is a Cape Town-based non-profit founded in 2002 by Assoc. Prof Simone Honikman and housed within the Alan J Flisher Centre for Public Mental Health at the University of Cape Town. The organization addresses common mental health conditions (depression, anxiety) among pregnant and postnatal women in low-resource settings by integrating mental health screening, referral, individual counselling, case management, and follow-up into routine maternity care. Its core operating site is the Hanover Park Midwife Obstetric Unit, where a stepped-care clinical service model has run since 2011, supported by the Engagement, Assessment and Triage (EAT) protocol and the Nyamekela4Care training intervention for service providers.

PMHP's product portfolio comprises four pillars: a clinical service delivery model embedded in the public health system, the Nyamekela4Care capacity-building intervention, the Messages for Mothers (M4M) multimedia resource platform produced in five South African languages through a partnership alliance, and the Counsellors for Mothers (#C4Mothers) fundraising initiative. The organization trains 700-1,000 service providers annually and maintains research and consultancy collaborations across 15+ countries. Knowledge generation activities include peer-reviewed publications and multi-media knowledge translation.

PMHP is funded entirely through philanthropic donations processed via the UCT Development and Alumni Department. Donor base includes the Discovery Fund, Harry Crossley Foundation, Ackerman Foundation, ELMA, Ithemba Foundation, Innovation Edge, DGMT, individual donors, and anonymous contributors. The organization is governed by a Board of Advisors comprising clinicians, academics (UCT, Stellenbosch), legal experts (ENSAfrica), and global health leaders. Core staff comprises approximately 10-15 personnel including Director, Operations Manager, Clinical Services Coordinator, Mental Health Counsellor, Clinical Supervisor, Teaching and Training Coordinator, Research Associates, and Administrative Assistant, supplemented by several volunteers and interns.

Name

Perinatal Mental Health Project (PMHP)

Legal name

Perinatal Mental Health Project

Website

https://pmhp.za.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2002

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

PMHP is a Cape Town-based non-profit founded in 2002 that integrates mental health screening, counselling and case management into routine maternity care for pregnant and postnatal women in low-resource South African settings, while training 700-1,000 service providers annually and collaborating across 15+ countries.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Maternal Mental Health Services

NAICS

Offices of Physicians, Mental Health Specialists (621112), Offices of Physicians (62111)

SIC

Services-Misc Health & Allied Services, Nec (8090), Services-Health Services (8000)

akta.pro primary industry

Maternal/Newborn & Postpartum Skilled Home Visits (HSABACAK)

akta.pro secondary industry

Postpartum Newborn Care & Parent Education (NCS) (HSAAACAA)

Keywords

• Maternal mental health
• Perinatal counseling services
• Mental health screening
• Health worker training
• Maternal health advocacy

Headquarters

HQ city

Cape Town

HQ country

South Africa

HQ region

Africa

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Others

Revenue model

1. Philanthropic Donations: PMHP is a non-profit entity that requires funding from external sources. Donations are made via the University of Cape Town Development and Alumni Department. All donations are earmarked and transferred to PMHP in their entirety, with tax certificates issued to all donors. Donors include foundations (Discovery Fund, Harry Crossley Foundation, Ackerman Foundation, ELMA, Ithemba Foundation, Innovation Edge), individual donors, and anonymous donors.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

PMHP operates a stepped-care clinical service model that integrates routine mental health screening, referral, individual counselling, case management, and follow-up into routine maternity care at the Hanover Park Midwife Obstetric Unit in Cape Town. It complements direct service delivery with the Nyamekela4Care training intervention, the Messages for Mothers multimedia resource platform, maternal mental health research, and advocacy at local, national, and international levels.

Product overview

PMHP offers a suite of maternal mental health services and programs rather than a commercial software product. The core offering is a stepped-care clinical service model operating at the Hanover Park Midwife Obstetric Unit, providing screening, counselling, case management, and follow-up care. Supporting programs include Messages for Mothers (M4M), a multimedia resource platform delivering mental health content in multiple South African languages; the Counsellors for Mothers (#C4Mothers) fundraising initiative; and Nyamekela4Care, a training intervention for service providers. The organization also conducts capacity building through courses and training modules, and engages in knowledge generation through research.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Counsellors for Mothers (#C4Mothers): A fundraising campaign launched in 2021 to raise funds for additional mental health support for mothers in Hanover Park.

Products and services

• Clinical Service Model A stepped-care clinical service operating at the Hanover Park Midwife Obstetric Unit in Cape Town that integrates routine mental health screening, referral, individual counselling, case management and follow-up into routine maternity care for pregnant and postnatal women in low-resource settings.
• Nyamekela4Care A training intervention for service providers that enables teams to lead their own learning, develop empathic skills, conduct peer supervision, and practice self-care as an integrated part of routine maternal health service delivery.
• Messages for Mothers (M4M) A multimedia resource platform providing mental health information, mindfulness exercises, physical health and parenting content for pregnant and postnatal women in South Africa, delivered in multiple South African languages through podcasts, infographics, mini-articles and videos.

Quantifiable outcome

• 39,573 pregnant women screened for mental health issues
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Eleven partnerships are on record, tiered core and major.

• University of Cape TowncoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPMHP is located within the Alan J Flisher Centre for Public Mental Health, Department of Psychiatry and Mental Health at UCT. UCT handles donations through its Development and Alumni Department.
• Alan J Flisher Centre for Public Mental HealthcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPMHP is housed within this center, providing academic backing and research collaboration opportunities.
• Department of Health (South Africa)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerStrategic partner for integrating maternal mental health into public health services.
• Department of Social DevelopmentcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner for social development aspects of maternal mental health integration.
• Alcardo Andrews FoundationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNearby organization providing cooked meals and food parcels to community members facing food insecurity. Close partnership with seamless cross-referral processes established between the two organizations.
• African Alliance for Maternal Mental Health (AAMMH)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPMHP Director serves on the steering committee. International advocacy network for maternal mental health.
• Global Alliance for Maternal Mental Health (GAMMH)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPMHP Director serves on the steering committee. International advocacy network.
• International Marcé Society for Perinatal Mental HealthcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPMHP Director serves on the board. Leading international society for perinatal mental health research and practice.
• World Maternal Mental Health Day Campaign (WMMHday)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPMHP Director is part of the task-force team. Global awareness campaign.
• University of StellenboschmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAcademic partner for research collaboration and postgraduate program coordination.
• Messages for Mothers (M4M) AlliancecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAlliance with Embrace, Grow Great, and Side by Side to provide mental health resources for mothers during COVID-19 pandemic.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Center for Women's Mental Health (MGH): Massachusetts General Hospital program providing clinical care, research, and training in reproductive and perinatal psychiatry. Broad incumbent in the same clinical and research domain, with significantly greater institutional resources.

Direct peers

• World Maternal Mental Health Day Campaign: Global awareness campaign for maternal mental health; PMHP's director is part of the task force. Directly comparable peer in awareness-raising and stigma reduction.
• Marcé Society International: International society for perinatal mental health research and practice, on whose board PMHP's director serves. Directly comparable as a knowledge-generation and advocacy peer in the same perinatal mental health field.
• Maternal Mental Health Alliance (UK): UK-based coalition advocating for better perinatal mental health services, with a focus on policy change and training service providers. Highly comparable to PMHP's advocacy, capacity-building, and systems-strengthening pillars.
• Global Alliance for Maternal Mental Health: International advocacy network for maternal mental health; PMHP's director sits on the steering committee. Closely aligned mission and a direct peer in global advocacy and policy influence.
• Postpartum Support International: US-based non-profit dedicated to perinatal mental health awareness, support, and training. Directly comparable to PMHP in mission (supporting women with perinatal mood and anxiety disorders), training-the-trainer programs, and reliance on donations.
• African Alliance for Maternal Mental Health: Continental-level advocacy alliance for maternal mental health in Africa; PMHP's director is on the steering committee. Most regionally aligned direct peer given PMHP's South African base and African focus.

Regional players

• Grow Great: South African campaign and non-profit focused on stunting prevention and early childhood; co-partner with PMHP in the M4M alliance. Adjacent maternal/child health work in the same domestic market.
• Embrace NGO: South African non-profit focused on maternal and child wellbeing; partner with PMHP in the Messages for Mothers alliance. Operates in the same geography and overlapping maternal health mission.

Emerging players

• Perinatal Mental Health UK (PMH UK): UK-based resource and advocacy platform for perinatal mental health information. Comparable in mission and content/resource distribution but operates in a different geography and at a smaller clinical-service scale.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/PMHPatUCT
• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/ThePMHPatUCT
• Facebookfacebook.com/PerinatalMentalHealthProject
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/perinatal-mental-health-project-africa
• Instagraminstagram.com/thepmhp

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles17 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Perinatal Mental Health Project (PMHP)