Unicef - Children's Lives Improving But Still a Long Way to Go

Ann Veneman, Chief of UNICEF, spoke to mark the Universal Children's Day and the 20th anniversary of the Convention on the Rights of the Child at the UN headquarters in New York, about how far they have come to improve the lives of children in the world.

Although they have raised awareness, put a child's face on the AIDs/HIV epidemic and increased the amount of children being educated, there is still so much that needs to be done. In her report she stated:

"I have spoken to girls in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, where sexual violence, pillaging, burning of homes and killing define their daily lives."

"I have met boys who were abducted from their families and forced to wage war in their own countries, sometimes even in their own communities," .

"The world must build on the progress achieved to ensure that stories such as theirs become part of the past,"

These stories always effect me but I don't know what I can do. Most people aren't heartless, they feel for those less fortunate then they are, they just don't know what to do. Giving money is easy and for most, who are just trying to get by, not always an option.

What can we do to make life better for those children around the world who's lives are living nightmares?