She is working for the United Nations children's agency, Unicef, in Nyala, southern Darfur and is writing a diary for BBC News Online about her experiences.

0930:

Today I managed to get out of the office again. An office day once in a while is not bad, but two days in a row stuck behind my laptop makes me a bit itchy.

I'm happy that I can join Andi, the newly appointed nutritionist on her trip to the therapeutic and supplementary feeding centres run by Medicines Sans Frontiers - Holland (MSF-H) and supported by Unicef.

Today is "boys day" in the centre. This means here that for two days, only boys are seen by the MSF staff. Children mostly between the age of 6 months and 5 years are screened by measuring the circumference of the arm and then taking weight and height.

From there a child can be sent:

• A) home
• B) to the supplementary feeding or
• C) to the therapeutic feeding centre.

I realise once again that the burden of women - and especially female-headed households - is extremely heavy. The women have to look after their children, their husband, parents and extended family members.

Children are weighed to see if they are malnourished

It can take them an entire day to queue for registration for a camp ID, for food rations, for school, for water, for medical care and then they are also are jointly responsible for the family income by collecting and selling fire wood, making mats or having a small business.

Usually when I look at children they cheer me up. Today that is not the case. The malnourished children moan and cry - also because many of them are ill from diarrhoea, malaria, worms, rashes etc.

The severely malnourished children on the other hand don't make a sound. They look at me in an apathetic way. The empty expression in their eyes look straight through me.

Hannah, one of the MSF staff, explains to me that some of the children suffer from anorexia nervosa. This is certainly not the kind some teenagers have from wanting to look like their super hero/heroin.

No, in this case children just refuse to eat likely because of trauma. Some children witnessed how a parent got killed right in front of them. Since they can hardly express themselves at that age, their refusal to eat could be an indication of distress.

For the mothers or surviving family members this is very difficult to deal with. Especially at this young and crucial age in a child's life, bonding between mother and child is very important. But, an apathetic and irritable child is not easy to bond with and therefore given less attention in the end. Also more food tends to go to children that make noise. Not to the quiet ones.

2000:

This is my first night "out" in Nyala. I go out for dinner with a colleague and people from MSF. I don't talk much about work and the experiences of the day. We enjoy the grilled chicken, bread and some indefinable meat at a little "restaurant" on the side of a dusty road.

The atmosphere is cheerful. We walk back to the Unicef guesthouse at 2130. There is a party going on opposite my office. By know I know all the latest Arab top 100 hits.

0815:

The new week begins with a meeting. I'm still not really used to the concept of a Sunday-morning meeting. Somehow it just doesn't sound right.

Some Darfur children are traumatised after seeing their parents being killed

I was supposed to leave for Kalma IDP camp around 0900. However, even though this camp is only 14 kilometres away from the office, I still need a UN security clearance to be able to go there.

Today it was not possible to get it signed as the Minister of Humanitarian Affairs came to Nyala to discuss the situation and everybody was very occupied with his visit.

So, again a day at the office. I keep myself very busy with writing briefing packs for Unicef National Committees and media visits, preparation of information sheets and with buying sheets, pillow cases, towels, dust bins etc. for our new Unicef guesthouse.

The smell of rain is in the air. I think about all those people out there: the women and children in the IDP camps. In the short while that I've been in Nyala (since last Thursday only) I've spoken with so many people affected by this crisis.

Unicef and other organisations launched funding appeals. With little money we can do so much. To give you an idea: A bundle of five plastic sheets (4 x 5 metres) costs about $8.20. One sheet can keep an entire family - an average of 5 people per household - more or less dry during the raining season.

Enlarge Map

It is of paramount importance that they stay dry and healthy especially in condensed areas as diseases in refugee and IDP camps can spread like wild fire. Still so many families have not yet received plastic to cover their shelter.

Unicef and NGOs are trying to get all the supplies to the field but we still face many constraints in terms of access.

Due to the rains the airport of Al Junaynah (West Darfur) is closed today and many trucks already got stuck in the muddy, sandy roads.

To get the supplies to the affected people seems a race against time. Rain is catching up with us.