Earlier this year, a bit of research coming out of FIGO found that in Ethiopia, only 23% of the population know what a fistula is, never mind that there’s a cure (and preventative measures).

A little context: Ethiopia, the African country that enjoys more fistula attention than any other, is hardly indicative of the awareness levels that may persist within its neighbors’ borders. On the contrary, thanks to the presence of the world-renown Hamlin Fistula Hospital in Addis Ababa, it’s likely that Ethiopians possess an unusually high rate of awareness in comparison with the rest of the continent. This goes a long way towards explaining why many women don't seek help: they don't even know what's wrong with them, and neither does anyone else nearby.

The fact that this gap in awareness remains in a country that boasts the presence of a hospital featured in the New York Times and on Oprah (need we say more about exposure?) gets to the root of why fistula is overlooked again and again. And for all our efforts to fund reparative surgeries and educate the West about the existence of fistula, it’s another plight altogether to improve awareness levels within the populations – rural and isolated as they often are – that experience fistula firsthand.

Now, our partners at the UNFPA have further evidence that even in areas of high prevalence, fistula remains an inscrutable condition. This 2-minute video interview of regular citizens on the streets of Burkina Faso -- responding to the simple query, What is obstetric fistula? -- shows the grim reality. When it comes to awareness, we still have a long way to go.