Giving Compass' Take:

• United Nation Foundation examines the humanitarian crisis in Yemen through the lens of Anjali Sen, a UNFPA representative who is working to protect women and girls in the country besieged by violence.

• Sen's optimism in the face of extreme conditions is inspiring. In what ways can NGOs and the international community provide more relief to this region?

• Here's more about the scope of Yemen's hunger crisis, in which 85,000 children have died.

The severity of Yemen’s humanitarian crisis is inconceivable for many of us — nearly 22 million people in the war-torn country desperately need humanitarian aid and protection. Yet for millions of people in Yemen, it is their reality. Girls and women are particularly vulnerable in emergency situations, which is why UNFPA works to help them – providing health services for pregnant women, women’s hygiene supplies, and counseling for gender-based violence, among other efforts.

As this dire situation continues to unravel, it’s easy to get overwhelmed and give up hope. But as UNFPA representative in Yemen, Anjali Sen, reminds us, what we do makes a difference. Humanitarian aid saves lives, and every day, humanitarian workers from 183 UN agencies and partners in Yemen are working to deliver food, provide lifesaving vaccines, protect women and children on the front lines, and much more. Our support can help them help more families.

We talked to Anjali Sen, a UNFPA representative to Yemen, about her work on the ground protecting girls and women — and how she remains hopeful in crisis.

"In a humanitarian situation, like in Yemen, the situation is so dynamic," says Sen. "The issues you have to address change almost daily. For instance, we would be trying to address the biggest cholera outbreak in the world, and then you get an acute emergency in the western coast, with thousands of people being displaced."

Read the full article about the hopeful humanitarian working in Yemen by Chandler Green at United Nations Foundation.