The Government of Norway donated 546,000 USD to the Republic of Moldova towards alleviating the consequences of last summer's drought in the framework of the United Nations project “Relief and Technical Assistance Response to the Drought”, UN Office in Moldova said in a press release. According to Dag M. Halvorsen, Assistant Director General of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Norway, in accordance with the Moldovan Government’s request, the Norwegian contribution will be used to purchase and distribute maize seeds to the most vulnerable farm households affected by last summer’s drought. The Norwegian official voiced hope that the donation will contribute to an improved standard of living for the rural population and to the insurance of their food security. Although over 20,000 of socially vulnerable families from 15 districts, most affected by the drought, will receive nearly 9 tonnes of animal fodder during January-February, assistance towards assuring the 2008 maize production should provide greater food security to between 25,000 and 30,000 additional vulnerable households. The UN Project “Relief and Technical Assistance Response to the Drought in Moldova” was launched last September and will be implemented during a period of six months with a total budget of approximately 8 million USD. Until now, 20,500 families from the country affected by the drought have benefited through UN from packages consisting of seeds, fertilisers and fuel and 9,400 beneficiaries have already received animal fodder. The project is financially supported by the European Commission through its Directorate-General for Humanitarian Aid (ECHO), the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (SIDA), the Austrian Development Agency (ADA), the Government of Norway, the Government of Italy, the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA).