The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) has allocated over 17-and-a-half million U.S. dollars to aid projects in North Korea for the next two years.

Voice of America (VOA) says that under the IFRC’s plan for 2010, the organization will provide essential drugs and basic medical services to the eight-point-five million North Koreans deemed most vulnerable.

The organization will also work to improve waterworks in the North and will attempt to prevent malnutrition and further deterioration of medical conditions.