Mr. Chair, this is a humanitarian crisis. We have promised never again, and it is ever again. We have to act.
I stress that $16.9 million is not enough.
I am not aware of the government reaching out. That is why I have called for this debate.
I would like to bring another issue to the House's attention, which is health care. People living in the Central African Republic are in desperate need of quality health care. Even before the conflict, the country was one of the world's worst in terms of health. One child died every 21 minutes. Life expectancy is just 47 years, and it is worse now.
A total of 838,000 people are currently displaced in the country. That is more than 18% of the population. Hospitals have been looted and health personnel have fled their posts.
A health assessment by the World Health Organization and other agencies between June and August, which is before the last escalation of violence, found pockets of severe malnutrition and low immunization.
The security situation makes providing health care much more difficult. As of December, more than 50% of health units had been vandalized and looted.
The NGOs tell us they need help with transportation and materials.
Again, I ask the government, what more can it do to help the NGOs provide health care on the ground?