Red Cross to distribute food parcels to Moldovan families

Moldova’s Red Cross, with support from the International Federation, prepares to distribute food parcels to 6,700 families badly affected by the 2007 drought, Info-Prim Neo reports. According to the country representative for Belarus, Moldova and Ukraine, Joe Lowry, all the families will receive an 18-kilo parcel containing sugar, rice, buckwheat, wheat flour, corn flour, sunflower oil, and canned pork in the second half of March. The International Federation released some 155,000 euros to support the Moldova Red Cross operation to help some 6,700 people until the end of April. The Moldova Red Cross is targeting large and single-headed families in rural areas. Following the Government’s appeal of last Summer, made through the agency of the UN Organization, the European Commission, the Dutch, Scandinavian, Chinese, Turkish and Azeri governments have contributed with aid meeting 90 per cent of the target. The UN office to Chisinau ran fodder supply programmes during the winter, and distributed food to pregnant and lactating women, in an effort to diminish the 2007 drought’s consequences. In the past, the Moldova Red Cross has run HIV/AIDS harm reduction, anti-trafficking programmes and programmes for tuberculosis patients and their families.