When you see the level of response from the US and nations around the world to the tragic earthquake that rocked Haiti only a few days ago, it is hard not to feel proud of the quality of global citizenship displayed by so many. Individuals and organizations have been sent to help with security, medical care, food distribution, general aid, and journalistic coverage and they should be commended for their commitment to humanity.
However, as an economist who was working on economic development in Haiti before the tragedy, I know that the strategy and model used for rebuilding is the key to success. Despite good intentions, the developed world does not have the best track record for helping under-developed countries gain any significant traction. There has never been a lack of funds or good intention, but there has been a lack of effective and unifying strategies designed with the population’s physical and cultural needs in mind. This unfortunate and tragic earthquake has presented the world and Haiti with an opportunity to set the rebuilding of Haiti on a course that will have long term significance for its people, if we are all willing to try something new and think about building sustainable economies with a new perspective.
There are a number of areas that will obviously require simultaneous focus, however the primary force and core strategy should be helping Haiti to rebuild their own country, with their own hands, and resist the temptation to do it for them. Often our own need to help gets in the way of truly understanding what is needed. This may sound over simplified or inconsequential to many, but I assure you it is not. The rebuilding must be done in a way that unites and aligns citizens, government, businesses, investors, and aid organizations. Without unity, there will be continued factions, hoarding, corruption, and minimal progress. This monumental task requires a top-down strategy with a bottom-up implementation plan. I have faith that with the assistance and guidance from the rest of the world, Haiti can rebuild itself and become much stronger than it was before the earthquake.
We must avoid simply jumping in with quick fixes and rebuilding everything back they way it was. A master infrastructure plan that is comprehensive in its ability to connect the disparate parts of the country and support agriculture and other industries is critical. It must take into account the reverse urban migration that is likely to occur as a result of the earthquake. Many people will go back to the small towns and villages where they are from because they no longer have homes and jobs and have nowhere else to go. The people in Haiti’s countryside are generally the poorest of the poor — why so many migrated to the big cities in the first place. Supporting agriculture, tourism, and arts industries in the countryside will provide people the means to stay, to start over and to allow the country to grow in a more balanced way.
Agricultural Development Aid is a crucial component, and it will be required in a way never seen before. With the traditional strategy of sending a disproportionate amount of food aid compared to Agricultural Development Aid, we generally set a country up for failure. Sending only food aid does serve an immediate need and feeds people today, but it can also destroy what markets still exist. Building chicken farms, developing farm land and building other food production facilities puts people in business so they can build up their own markets allows the aid to continue to churn through the economy and even increase economic activity over time. Simply handing out food produced elsewhere and brought in through an outside distribution channel fills an immediate need, but if it is not balanced with other strategies eventually also feeds the equation of poverty.
Businesses must be created and financially supported so they can hire local employees and begin the re-building process. Contracts must be structured with built-in profits from the rebuilding efforts that can be used to create further self-sustaining economic activity. The banking industry must be supported such that the bankers can make enough profits to stay in business and grow while providing heavily subsidized loans for building businesses and rebuilding structures. The World Bank and the IMF need to find creative ways to support industries and businesses directly as opposed to giving the lions share of funds directly to the government. When businesses begin to grow and more money is invested in capitalistic endeavors, the government’s revenue will grow in sustainable ways and can it begin to rely less and less on foreign hand-outs. The government should be orchestrating, aligning, and ensuring coordination of all efforts. The government should be making master plans and ensuring long-term strategies are properly focused on growth. Groups like Aimer Haiti, who can help build and mentor businesses, should be working with the government, the World Bank, the IMF, the US, foreign investors and domestic investors to develop completely new strategies for growth. Aimer Haiti has already been working on such collaborative and creative economic development strategies since their launch in 2009 and for years before as concerned citizens and Haitian business owners.
Energy has been a growing issue for Haiti as its population rises, and is now even more critical. Electricity has never been reliable and is often supplemented with large battery stores powered by diesel generators. The good news is that technology has advanced enough that a country like Haiti can leap-frog many of the evolutionary steps in energy that the developed world could not. It’s a matter of getting the brightest minds together, inside and outside of Haiti, to come up with the best solutions given the unique conditions of the country. Before the earthquake Aimer Haiti was exploring the possibility of using small solar energy units in some of the poorest areas to provide light, refrigeration, and power. With refrigeration, people can store and sell perishable products such as produce and fish. With power people who cannot read or write can begin the process of building an education base through radio and television. Mobile phones can be powered and connect people to markets to sell their goods.
Solving the energy issue is also the key to stopping deforestation. Until there is a reliable source of energy to replace charcoal, and until there are jobs and small businesses to give people a means to survive, deforestation will continue. Deforestation causes rapid erosion, which leads to road and bridge destruction, and leaves the land unsuitable for farming ensuring the cycle of poverty continues. The cutting down of trees does not happen because Haitians do not care about their land, it happens because it has become a means of survival for so many people.
The interconnectedness of all of these major issues in Haiti is another reason why getting the overall re-building strategy right is so key to its long-term future success. Every solution and every single effort of aid and rebuilding should be viewed as an opportunity to put Haitians in businesses that will create jobs. For example, the distribution of food and creation of helicopter landing sites, which is happening right now in Haiti, is a huge opportunity to employ people and allow them to feel a part of the solution and not a part of the problem. There shouldn’t be such a stark line between those giving aid and those receiving aid. This is an example of the change in thinking and the change in mindset that is needed to change the trajectory of how under-developed countries are assisted, particularly in times of need.
This type of re-building is not done from an office or over the phone, it is done by creating relationships on the ground, building businesses, one at a time, and helping families, one at a time. It’s about doing, creating, uniting, and elating in each small success that both dedication and determination will bring.
History has proven time and again that capitalism and the building of a significant middle class are still the best ways to bring people out of poverty. Before the earthquake, one of the first billboards you saw when you were leaving the Port au Prince airport, was the large unity triangle of Aimer Haiti, which of course translates to “Love Haiti” in English. I hope it is still standing!
