Global Pulse Blog

A recent article in the Christian Science Monitor by the SEVEN Fund’s Michael Fairbanks explores a potential approach to addressing Haiti’s need for long-term economic support. While several different groups have contributed to relief efforts after the devastating January 12th earthquake, many are looking to develop a more long-term solution. A challenge to building private-sector support is the atmosphere in a country where the elite and wealthy have often supported business initiatives which favor big business and are not developed to lend support to those most in need.

In order to create prosperity for the average Haitian citizen, innovative solutions are needed to develop “attractive export market segments to serve with unique products, building new distribution systems, lowering energy costs, and providing skills to Haitian citizens who will be compensated for the high value they create” according to Pierre Marie Boisson, a Harvard-educated, Haitian international banker.