IRIN profiles the establishment of a “‘fistula hotline,’ a free phone number for women who suffer from this debilitating condition that is seldom spoken about,” at the Aberdeen Women’s Centre, a clinic in Freetown, Sierra Leone. “The fistula hotline, which is run by the center, is the result of a public-private partnership between the Gloag Foundation, USAID, the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) and telecommunications company Airtel,” IRIN notes.

Since the hotline opened in October, “more than 8,000 calls have been received, but so far just 0.1 percent have been about cases of fistula,” according to the news service, which adds that Jude Holden, the Centre’s Country Director, said, “We have received 90 cases … and this is a great success.” According to IRIN, “Sierra Leone is currently finalizing a strategic plan to tackle fistula and will appoint a focal person by the start of 2012” (11/22).