In Haiti Small Projects Are a Big Hit [Opinion]

July 14, 2013— -- These days there seems to be a huge importance placed on "big ideas" and "mega projects" but I was reminded on a recent trip to Haiti that bigger is not always better.

I have been travelling to Haiti regularly in the past decade and in the years since the 2010 earthquake things there have been pretty bleak. The disorganization, broken promises, and wastefulness that has characterized the reconstruction efforts to date has been depressing, frustrating and in some cases even deadly.

Two weeks ago I made my way to Port-au-Prince to help launch a new course for Haitian entrepreneurs, and for the first time in years I witnessed some pockets of real progress. This progress did not come from the large hospital, hotel or port projects that you might have read about in the international press but rather from simple, "small" initiatives that are having an impact on people's daily lives and routines.

Anyone who has travelled to Port-au-Prince has spent time bouncing around a vehicle as it navigates over and around gigantic potholes on its way through the capitol's bustling streets and hilly suburbs. This time however my rides were surprisingly smooth. Instead of cursing the potholes, my Haitian colleagues were proudly pointing out newly paved roads and those currently under construction. One recently constructed road cut the travel time from Port-au-Prince to Kenscoff, a town in the mountains, from 45 minutes to 15.

Another common topic of conversation was the solar-powered street lamps that have cropped up on Port-au-Prince's busiest streets and neighborhoods. In the evenings the lamps are lighting up the city like I've never seen and improving all aspects of public safety.

I was especially surprised when we passed Place Boyer, a park in Petionville, that became an infamous refugee camp and tent village after the earthquake. Its newest reincarnation is as a beautiful public space with colorful wall and bench mosaics, a basketball court, amphitheater and even free wifi. On a Saturday night the well-lit park was filled with people from all walks of life chatting, listening to music, and playing sports.

While these initiatives have received at least some foreign support they have been completed with local input and oversight and with the local environment and community in mind. These "small" initiatives are manageable, measurable and adaptable—plus they are having an impact.

Of course, frustration with the reconstruction process remains very prevalent but much of this frustration is a result of the focus on hyped up mega projects. Even if they are completed they will never live up to their lofty expectations.