Not long after I finish my call and Kervins finishes translating, seven or eight kidnappers storm in the room and tell Stephanie and I to lay face down on two separate mattresses. Bad Cop is there. I don’t quite understand what he wants me to do. I ask him a question. He punches me in the ear. I lay down and put my arms behind my back not knowing what’s going on. Maybe the $100k wasn’t enough.

The downside of that arrogance (amongst many other things) is that I can become a DIY guy when I aught not. It had not even occurred to me on Day 3, that Mary might be putting together a team of highly qualified experts who were preparing to lead my negotiations. Think of all you’d need in order to help me. You’d need to speak Kreyol, be a skilled negotiator, know about this gang and their specific tactics, style, capabilities. You’d need to know my finances, where our money is, how to get it, how much I’d be willing to pay or not pay - and more!

At 6:54pm I call Bill through WhatsApp. He gives me the number of someone he trusts in Haiti and tells me “He’s going to help you”. I try to get him to elaborate. Who is this guy? Is he a gang leader? Is he a negotiator? Bill won’t elaborate.

The soldier reached over to my side of the truck and grabbed my hat and covered my eyes with it and pushed my head down in an effort to keep me from seeing where we were going. I was able to turn my head to the right enough to look out the window and did my best to remember the route. I counted the number of lefts and rights as we ascended the hill in hope of providing valuable intel to someone at sometime. I wouldn’t remember any of it. 

As we went to each location, I expected to see the desperate and dying like I had seen on previous visits to Jacmel. However, it became clear by the afternoon that in the few months that had passed since my previous visit to Jacmel that food security in the area was improving. 

Within minutes I am taken aback by the destruction that has taken place since my previous trip through this city just 2.5 years earlier. Most businesses along the road are gone. The homes in sight are empty. 

I was kidnapped in Haiti on April 12th, 2023, and held for 43 days. I was beaten, terrorized and tortured. I escaped for about 8 hours but only made it about a mile before I was recaptured by a neighboring gang and returned to my cell. It was terrible. I lost about 50 pounds before being released on May 24th. Over the next six weeks, My wife Mary and I will share our story here.

There have been many books on development written and cited by academics from around the world. We will try to focus on those listed within the syllabi of respected universities. It is important for the reader to understand that StimPack is new in its mission to lead development efforts in Haiti. This is an audacious mission considering the many brilliant minds that have preceded us. However, our approach is far more humble than it might initially appear. We intend to stand on the shoulders of our experienced predecessors, leveraging their experimentation and resulting wisdom to move this work forward. StimPack also realizes the value of development work done outside of Haiti that may have significant value within it. This article will work to apply to Haiti the ideas of the late Clayton M. Christensen of Harvard Business School and his co-authors Efosa Ojomo and Karen Dillon as taught in their book The Prosperity Paradox. We hope you will find this a valuable exercise.

This will not be a summary or thorough book report. We have instead extracted a few points we find relevant to Haiti.

[Update: This article was initially published January of 2023. Since then security in Haiti has descended to a point that makes all areas of development extremely difficult. This fact makes security the priority for development in Haiti. The points explored in this article will regain relevance once ‘Level 1 Security’ (major supply routes and adjacent police stations are reopened) is achieved.]

This is a wiki of sorts, designed to house the best strategic thinking we at STIMPACK can conceive on the topic of development in Haiti. It should be considered a living document that we will update as data, wisdom, and the situations on the ground advance. We hope that you will contribute to as well as critique this work. You are invited to either use the comment feature on any page or contact us.

Recent (post assassination) foreign policy statements from U.S. Officials have been widely condemned. Some demanding greater involvement in solving Haiti’s many issues and some demanding the opposite. I am here to both defend the wisdom of recent U.S. Policy positions, as well as advocate for the opportunity I see that awaits them.