The maternal death rate remains high in South Africa despite the availability of many existing strategies to improve the quality of service. A 30% increase in the maternal mortality rate was reported between 2020 and 2021, with Limpopo ranking fourth highest out of nine provinces. The Vhembe district maintained its position as the third-ranked area with a notably elevated maternal mortality rate. This study aimed to explore the strategies used to reduce the maternal death rate and improve the provision of quality maternal healthcare services based on participant experiences in selected hospitals of the Vhembe district, Limpopo Province. One hospital was purposively sampled from every four municipalities. A qualitative approach using a phenomenological design was employed. Twenty-eight participants were sampled using a convenience sampling method. The semi-structured interview guide was used to collect data, complemented by the use of an audio recorder, continuing until data saturation was reached. Data saturation was reached at the 20th participant; however, the researcher continued until 28 sampled participants were interviewed. An interpretative phenomenological analysis was used following the analytical stages of interpretative data analysis. The study proposal was ethically cleared by the University of Venda Ethics Committee (FHS/22/PH/08/3108). The results indicate that, despite implementing strategies to improve maternal healthcare services and reduce the maternal death rate, several factors, such as the lack of material resources, shortage of staff, incompetent staff and poor infection control, affect the quality of maternal health services in the Vhembe district. The Limpopo Department of Health and hospital management should ensure that hospitals have all the necessary resources and support healthcare professionals through in-service training to ensure the functionality of existing strategies.

Background: Adolescence is a critical transitional phase characterized by rapid developmental changes, which makes this age group more vulnerable to mental health challenges and disorders. Despite the South African governments’ effort to implement the Integrated School Health Policy (ISHP), the prevalence of depression, anxiety, and suicidal behavior continues to rise among adolescents in rural based secondary schools. Therefore, this protocol aims to develop an intervention program to promote mental health awareness among adolescents in rural based secondary schools of Mopani district, Limpopo province, South Africa.Methods: The study will be conducted in three phases. Phase 1 will involve a quantitative approach (phase 1A), using a cross-sectional descriptive research design. Cluster sampling method will be used to select schools, followed by systematic sampling to select adolescents between 12 and 18. Simple random sampling will be used to select teachers. Structured questionnaires will be used to collect data that will be analyzed using Statistical Package for Social Sciences software version 24 for data analysis. Qualitative approach (phase 1B) using explanatory research design will follow, which will be dependent on quantitative data. Both purposive and Snowball sampling methods will be utilized to sample adolescents and teachers. Semi-structured interviews will be used to collect data that will be analyzed thematically. Phase 1c will involve the synthesis and integration of the study through strength, weakness, opportunities, threats analysis; where findings from both phases will be consolidated and synthesized into a cohesive whole. Phase 2 will involve the development of a program using a logic model. The program will be presented in a table format, outlining specific objectives, activities, and outcomes. Phase 3 will focus on the validation of the developed program using the Delphi technique. The study has been approved by the University of Limpopo Research Ethics Committee: TREC/189/2025: PG.Discussion: This research addresses the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) 3 and 4, ensuring healthy lives and promoting inclusive education. The study’s findings will contribute to the development of a tailored program to promote mental health awareness among adolescents in rural-based secondary schools. The study’s results will also provide valuable insights for policymakers, educators, and mental health professionals.Conclusion: The conclusion and recommendations will be based on the findings of the study.

The maternal death rate remains high in South Africa despite the availability of many existing strategies to improve the quality of service. A 30% increase in maternal mortality rate was reported between 2020-2021, with Limpopo ranking fourth highest out of nine provinces. Vhembe district remained number three with a high maternal death rate. This study explored strategies to reduce the maternal death rate and improve the provision of quality maternal healthcare services in selected hospitals of Vhembe district, Limpopo province. One hospital was purposively sampled from every four municipalities. A qualitative approach using phenomenological design was employed. Twenty-eight participants were sampled using a convenience sampling method. The semi-structured interview guide was used to collect data. An audio recorder was also used until data saturation. Data saturation was reached at the 20th participant, but the researcher continued until 28 sampled participants were interviewed. Interpretative phenomenological analysis was used following the analytical stages of interpretative data analysis. The study proposal was ethically cleared by the University of Venda Ethics Committee (FHS/22/PH/08/3108). Results indicate that despite implementing strategies to improve maternal healthcare services and reduce the maternal death rate, several factors, such as lack of material resources, shortage of staff, incompetent staff, and poor infection control, affect the quality of maternal health service in Vhembe district. Limpopo Department of Health and hospital management should ensure that hospitals have all necessary resources and support healthcare professionals through in-service training to ensure the functionality of existing strategies.

Background Globally, 10–20% of adolescents face mental health disorders, with 14% affected in South Africa. Despite existing policies and school-based frameworks, significant gaps remain in implementation, particularly in awareness and early intervention. Schools offer a platform for mental health promotion, yet few well-documented, adolescent-focused awareness programs exist. This scoping review aimed to map available scientific evidence on mental health awareness promotion programs targeting adolescents in South Africa. Methodology The scoping review followed Arksey and O’Malley’s framework, and a systematic search was conducted in Sabinet, ScienceDirect, Google Scholar, and Wiley Online Library, covering English-language studies published between January 2020 and January 2025. A total of 4881 records were identified, including 20 from manual searches, with 39 articles meeting the inclusion criteria for final synthesis. The study was registered on prospero: CRD420251174673 Results Study findings discovered several programs in South Africa to enhance mental health awareness among adolescents. The Integrated School Health Policy was implemented across all nine provinces which provides comprehensive school health and psychosocial support through collaboration among various stakeholders. The Early Adolescent Skills for Emotions program which targets 10-15 with internalizing disorders like anxiety and depression was implemented in 4 Cape Town schools. In Khayelitsha, the Health Action in Schools for Thriving Adolescent Generation program was implemented to support learners aged 11-15 by fostering thriving school environments and peer support. Despite these efforts, challenges including inconsistent attendance, logistical barriers, insufficient resources, concerns about sustainability, and inadequate school capacity addressing critical learner vulnerabilities were identified. Resulting in the high prevalence of anxiety and depression. Conclusion The review highlights a clear gap in the implementation and evaluation of structured mental health awareness programs for adolescents in South Africa. Strengthening school-based mental health initiatives, training educators, and addressing systemic barriers are essential steps toward improving adolescent mental health outcomes and closing the existing treatment gap.