In Liberia, a team of epidemiologists have to delay a criminal investigation, look the other way on illegal drug use and build trust to stop an outbreak of Ebola.
Fighting extreme poverty and failing crops caused by a three-year drought, United Nations food agencies are struggling to keep the region's population from succumbing to starvation.
The civil war in Yemen has killed more than 10,000 people and left most of its population in need of humanitarian assistance. NPR's Scott Simon speaks with Muhannad Hadi, Middle-East regional director for the World Food Program, who recently returned from a visit there.