ABSTRACT
In selecting indigenous healers for inclusion in human immunodeficiency virus/Acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) prevention programs, it is probably best to find out who is currently being consulted for sexually tranmitted diseases and/or AIDS, however they are classified by themselves or others. Development assistance programs typically introduce a "modern" or "scientific" technology based on a knowledge system deemed superior to a preexisting knowledge system that will hopefully be supplanted. One factor constraining collaborative programs is the logical development of health programs over time. Africa's high birth rates and general economic downturn—resulting in decreases in Ministry of Health operating budgets—mean that even greater proportions of the population remain unserved by biomedical health personnel. Healers may well enjoy prestige in their local communities, but collaboration with physicians or government officials bestows a respectability and recognition in the modern/urban sector that indigenous practitioners have come to value.
