ABSTRACT
The immediate relevance of child-spacing or family-planning programs to Acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS)/sexually tranmitted diseases (STDs) efforts is that both rely partly on barrier contraceptive methods such as the condom, sponge, and diaphragm. Both AIDS/STD and family-planning programs also attempt to modify people's sexual behavior in similar ways. Africa has become the priority region for contraceptive programs funded by Agency for International Development Office of Population, and the approach emphasized—as reflected in the mandates of several recently initiated centrally funded family-planning projects—is to work through the private sector as much as possible, especially the for-profit or the commercial/industrial sector. The basic idea behind what became known as the Traditional Sector Family Health (TSFH) projects in Lagos and Benue states was to harness the potential of traditional healers in family planning motivation—or "demand" creation—as well as in service delivery. Healers were chosen for participation in the TSFH Projects by local branches of traditional healer associations.
