Symposium with African traditional healers
Blantyre, Malawi 10-12 Sept. 1997
The INGDO Task Force for the Prevention of Blindness is sponsoring the International Symposium on Collaboration with African Traditional Healers for the Prevention of Blindness to be held in Blantyre, Malawi from 10-12 September, 1997. The organisation of the symposium is a collaborative project of the British Columbia Centre for Epidemiologic & International Ophthalmology (Vancouver, Canada) and the Lilongwe Central Hospital WHO Collaborating Centre, Malawi.
The goal of the symposium is to prepare material to help eye care providers interested in working with traditional healers to establish their own programmes. Participants will develop a working consensus of the positive role healers can play in eye care, and review simple, inexpensive survey methods to determine common traditional eye medicines used by the people and the traditional practices of healers. Guidelines for establishing a collaborative relationship, the basic format for educational activities, and assessment of programme indicators will also be developed.
Some traditional healers from Malawi and Zimbabwe will be participating. For further information regarding the symposium, contact: