Headlines about Haiti often focus on insecurity, poverty, and corruption. But every day, Haitians are working to build stronger, healthier, more prosperous communities. Young entrepreneurs are leading the way.
In June 2026, Quixote Center met with an agronomy student and former staff member of the Grepen Center in Gros Morne, a partner we worked with for decades. He and a group of university friends had formed Le Centre Agricole des Amis (CAA – Friends’ Agricultural Center) and approached us with a proposal: invest in a new fish production business.
After working together to strengthen their business plan, Quixote Center invested 600,000 Haitian Gourdes (about US$4,600), half as an interest-free loan and half as a grant. We know how challenging it is to launch a business in Haiti, and we wanted to give this young team the foundation to succeed.
CAA is now building two fishponds with the capacity to produce 800 fish per year. Located along the road between Gros Morne and Gonaïves, the ponds are positioned to serve local restaurants and three weekly markets in nearby towns. Their research showed a clear opportunity: the area's only other fish producer left for the United States, while demand for locally produced fish remains strong.
The challenges are real. Insecurity continues to affect the Artibonite region. But CAA's response is not to wait, it is to build.
Their vision goes beyond selling fish. The business aims to:
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Strengthen local food security
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Create opportunities for young people
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Keep more revenue circulating in the local economy
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Provide school supplies for ten local children through the profits generated
That last commitment is especially meaningful. CAA has built social impact directly into its business model, demonstrating how entrepreneurship can strengthen a local solidarity economy and invest in the next generation.
This small business will also become a model for our new entrepreneurship training program in southern Haiti. University students around Les Cayes will study CAA's experience as they develop their own business plans, turning one local success into a source of inspiration and practical learning for others.
Haitians are asking for opportunity, not charity. They are ready to build, invest, and create.
Quixote Center is proud to stand alongside young Haitian entrepreneurs like the members of CAA. Together, we are supporting solutions that are locally led, data-driven, measurable, and replicable.
And soon, our supporters will have an opportunity to join us in investing directly in the next generation of Haitian entrepreneurs.
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