Piti Piti Zwazo Fè Nich Li: Defining the Challenges to Social Entrepreneurship in Haiti

Abstract

For years, people have been trying to explain why Haiti’s GDP is still among the poorest in the world, qualifying it as the poorest country in the Americas.1 When the 2010 earthquake hit, the world was reminded of the fragility of a nation whose history as a free country is within a few years as old as that of the richest country in the world. The US, mainly through foreign policy and USAID, along with other NGOs, responded immediately with billions to help relief and recovery, but development actions in the wake of disaster relief largely lack sustainability. The last two decades have seen an increase in awareness of the limits of NGOs, aid, and other short-term solutions alongside the emergence of social entrepreneurship, a term often accompanied with "sustainable development." Many are embracing market-based solutions to solving poverty, and they are seeing results. Haiti is no exception- it is becoming increasingly recognized that social entrepreneurs are essential to lifting Haiti from poverty. The history of Haiti, however, can explain the unique difficulties for social entrepreneurship within its borders; economic, social and political forces have seemingly worked to discourage the type of Archimedean mindset people need to become entrepreneurs. Understanding the historical context is crucial for figuring out the next steps for developing an enabling environment for entrepreneurs in Haiti. The purpose of this study is, on the one hand, to support the concept of social entrepreneurship both as a theory and as a means to revitalize the Haitian economy alongside meaningful social change, while on the other, cautioning against the assumption that social entrepreneurs will rapidly change the landscape of Haiti and be as successful as in other regions of the world. The challenges that will pose threats to the theory’s immediate success are related to the following themes: “survival mode”, gender, social tension, education, start-up logistics, geography and infrastructure, and government.