Direct Relief has committed $25,000 in emergency funds to OGRA Foundation, a key partner in Kenya, to assist in the response to severe flooding in the western part of the country that has displaced thousands of people.

The emergency cash grant will allow Dr. Hezron Mc’Obewa, Direct Relief’s medical advisor to East Africa and executive director of OGRA, to purchase needed medicines and supplies in-country to help care for people affected by flooding. Dr. Mc’Obewa reports that waterborne diseases are a particular concern, as is pneumonia in children, which is spreading fast.

Based in Kisumu, near the center of the flooding, OGRA is staging medical camps for displaced people, as the usually heavy rains have flooded thousands of homes.