The Emergency Response Fund (ERF) for Kenya has been established to enable rapid and flexible funding to respond to humanitarian needs and facilitate coordination of emergency response activities. The ERF is a pooled fund managed under the leadership of the HC with support from the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) and with the guidance of inter-agency Review and Advisory boards. The fund is accessible to both Non Governmental Organizations (NGOs) and United Nations agencies and is intended to respond to humanitarian needs in three ways:
a) To support life saving rapid response at the onset of a disaster before mainstream responses come on line.
b) For strategic gap filling in non-food interventions, geographically or sectorally, within the context of an overall response plan such as the current Emergency Humanitarian Response Plan.
c) To provide support to early action activities in order to mitigate emerging needs and to prevent escalations in existing humanitarian situations.