Various Types of "Witch Doctor"

This is a story I heard in an elementary school in Central Equatoria, Southern Sudan. As part of hygiene education introduction, students of upper grades worked on research and mapping of their neighborhood. Through the work with the students, I learned, interestingly enough, that in the neighborhood there were people called "Witch Doctors", who are said to cure a sick person with the local medicinal herbs.

All 20 elementary schools that have received JEN's support are located far away from the main roads, and we must drive very bad conditions to get to those schools.  It is almost impossible for people living in those school neighborhoods to go to public clinics and to buy necessary medicine in case of sickness. Given such a situation, generally people take medicinal herbs, and "Witch Doctors" are believed to be professionals in prescribing medicinal herbs.

According to the local JEN staffs, it is said that those "Witch Doctors" can also fix fights between husbands and wives by using the herbs, that they pick up some special herbs to stop the flirtation of a lecherous husband.  Therefore, some think that those "Witch Doctors" as trustless, weird, and they even disregard such people who depend on "Witch Doctors" for remedy.  A driver working for JEN told that he would divorce his wife if she saw a "Witch Doctor".

It was interesting to know that there is a big difference in impression people hold toward "Witch Doctors".