Ann Veneman, the head of the United Nations' children's fund, UNICEF, has recently visited the Democratic Republic of Congo where she met victims of sexual violence and children who were kidnapped by the Lord's Resistance Army guerrilla group but managed to escape. AlertNet invited readers to ask her questions about Congo and issues facing children and women worldwide.

Here are her answers.

Hilary Clinton has said the DRC is "one of mankind's greatest atrocities", so why do you think the DRC crisis doesn't get much media attention?

Recent visits to the region by high-profile leaders such as U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and U.S. Secretary of State Hilary Clinton, among others, are contributing to changing this, by increasing awareness of the atrocities happening in the DRC. The situation in the DRC is heartbreaking and its impact on women and children is a travesty.

Nearly 70 percent of the population lives on $1.25 or less a day. Nearly half a million children under the age of five die each year, mostly from preventable causes, such as diarrhea, pneumonia, malaria, tuberculosis and malnutrition and measles. One million people are living with HIV/ AIDS. Tens of thousands of people have been subjected to sexual violence, over half of them children. But if we all pull together we can - and we will - make a difference.

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What is UNICEF doing to prevent sexual violence against women, children and men in the DRC?

In the DRC rape is used as a vicious weapon of war in an attempt to demoralize, destroy and tear communities apart. In 2006 I met a 12-year-old girl, who told me her story of being brutally attacked and raped by four men. Now, three years later, the trauma continues.

During my recent trip to the DRC I visited a programme that UNICEF is supporting -- the Panzi Hospital, a facility that has treated nearly 4,000 women who have suffered violent sexual assaults. While touring the facility I met a young woman named Mapensa, which means 'Love' in Swahili.

Tragically, her shame caused by sexual violence has made it hard for her to live a life that matches the beauty of her name. She told me that she was raped a year ago multiple times by soldiers. It was a horrible story made even worse by the fact that then, just a few months ago, soldiers returned to her village, and raped her again. Mapensa sobbed uncontrollably as she told me that her husband shunned her and told her he could not stay with her after she had been raped so many times. Her story is heartbreaking and tragic. Through the help of the Panzi Hospital, Mapensa will recover physically but the emotional scars remain.

And for those who cannot get to Panzi Hospital for treatment, UNICEF supports a mobile clinic that has treated nearly 30,000 women and children who have been victims of sexual violence.

You may want to visit the UNICEF website to learn about other activities UNICEF undertakes.

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Why do you think helping children has a greater value for a country's development than working with other groups, such as older people or adults?

As the U.N. Children's Agency, UNICEF's mission is to help improve the health, education and protection of children. The organisation works closely with many to achieve this, including health care workers, teachers, governments, communities and NGOs.

Children are the future, and it makes sense to invest in their welfare and development, for all our sakes.

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How do you cope when you see first-hand the injustice and inhumanity inflicted on children and mothers?

What has happened to women and girls in the DRC is unspeakable. One woman told me of soldiers coming to her village to destroy it. They had set her hut on fire and she risked death by gunfire rather than having her family be burned alive. She survived along with all but one of her children.

These personal stories help bring awareness to the atrocities that are occurring. But hope and inspiration also come from the strength, courage and determination of those who survive.

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How can UNICEF more effectively engage local communities to help address some of the issues facing children, such as better health care, education and security?

UNICEF's experience shows that collaboration with local communities is essential for sustainable solutions. We work closely with local people and communities, both directly and in concert with other organisations.

The collaboration with Panzi Hospital and V-Day to build the City of Joy in Bukava is one example from the DRC. Please visit the UNICEF website and read about the many community-based programmes and services UNICEF is supporting.

UNICEF is on the ground in more than 150 countries to advance programmes that support child health and nutrition, quality basic education, the protection of children from violence, exploitation and AIDS, and access to clean water and sanitation, among other priorities. Together, we work with other organisations to advance integrated approaches to these challenges.

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What is UNICEF doing to help the children held as prisoners in camps in Sri Lanka?

UNICEF is providing humanitarian assistance in the camps for internally displaced people in Sri Lanka, including safe drinking water, sanitation facilities, vaccinations and nutrition assistance. It is also involved in providing protection for children in the camps, especially those who have been separated from their families and are at risk of neglect, abuse and exploitation. We continue to be greatly concerned about children who have been impacted by conflict in Sri Lanka.

UNICEF also works throughout Sri Lanka supporting health, education and protection programmes for children.

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Do you believe spending $5.8 million on email migration from Lotus Notes to Microsoft Exchange is justified given UNICEF is funded entirely from voluntary contributions? What was the business case for your move from Lotus Notes to MS Exchange? How will it help UNICEF?

The vast majority of UNICEF's staff are scattered around the world in country offices, managing programmes that target the urgent needs of children. Global communications that are efficient and effective are essential to this work, and decisions about them are not taken lightly. UNICEF decided to migrate to Microsoft Exchange/Outlook after an assessment of its specific organisational needs and priorities. The assessment revealed that migration will deliver an email and communication environment that better meets these needs with considerable cost-savings, and the ultimate beneficiaries will be children in need. UNICEF is one of several UN agencies taking this step.

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What is the single most important thing industrialised nations can do to alleviate children's poverty and suffering?

The problems that children face can only be effectively addressed through the cooperative efforts of many different people from the developing and the developed world, each contributing financial resources and expertise. Developing countries want technical assistance from developed and developing countries alike.

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