Haiti, as it could be.

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What if we scaled Xcelerant's proof of concept — Côte Brillante — dramatically? Say, 100x or 1,000x.

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This proposal, or vision, is for a Special Administrative Region (SAR) in Haiti — conceptually similar to how Hong Kong or Macao relate to China. Within it, charter cities, infrastructure, industries, and governance would be designed to create a very different development environment: a visible, working model of what Haiti could become.

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This is not a new idea. The neighboring Dominican Republic has built a hugely successful case study. Punta Cana — on the eastern tip of the island — illustrates how long-term planning, investment, and stability can generate outsized economic impact for the entire country. Punta Cana is not the template for Haiti. But a paradigm already exists, on the same island.

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For Haiti SAR to work, the Haitian government would have to participate and cooperate — a genuine challenge not to be minimized. But the incentives are real: an SAR creates economic benefits the government cannot easily replicate, provides political cover for otherwise difficult reforms, and creates a geopolitical asset international partners would have good reason to support.

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The SAR would require at least 1% of Haiti’s landmass — approximately 275 square kilometers. After 25 years and three development phases, it could become home to roughly 450,000 people — about 3% of Haiti’s projected population in 2050. And a free trade zone and logistics hub at this scale could generate 10–20% of Haiti's GDP, or more.

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Again: 1% of the land. 3% of the population. Potentially 10–20% of the economy.

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This is not an enclave for elites. Quite the opposite. It is a deliberate effort to build what Haiti has never had enough of: a middle class. Homeownership. Jobs. Mortgages. Businesses. Wealth that compounds — in Haiti — for future generations of Haitians.

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The Plan, Phase by Phase

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​Phase 1 requires approximately $1 billion spent across five years. It would employ 5,000+ Haitian workers to build roughly 7,000 homes, along with roads, electricity, water and sewer systems; schools, healthcare, green space, agricultural reclamation, and a business corridor centered on tourism and technology.

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Local workers would earn approximately $6,000 per year on average — two to three times prevailing construction wages in Haiti today — because SAR workers need to earn enough to become owners themselves. Anything less doesn’t make sense.

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Houses on spacious lots would range from $60,000 to $180,000 per unit, with lower-cost apartments available. Buyers put 40% down; the SAR development bank finances the remaining 60% over ten years. The expected buyer mix: roughly one-third SAR workers, one-third Haitians living abroad, one-third Haitians already living in Haiti.

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By the end of Phase 1, the SAR would not simply contain homes and infrastructure. It would contain a lending portfolio, repayment history, insured assets, profitable businesses, and the beginning of a real case for investment.

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Phase 2 raises an additional $3 billion and adds 30,000 homes over the next ten years, pushing the population toward 185,000 residents. An airport and seaport would be essential. At this point the SAR becomes the most attractive destination for capital investment in Haiti — and a visible reminder to the rest of the country that change is possible.

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Phase 3 operates at nation-building scale: another $6 billion, another decade, another 53,000 homes. Total buildout reaches approximately 90,000 homes and 450,000 residents. By this point the SAR development bank holds tens of thousands of mortgages worth billions of dollars — and the SAR itself becomes something even more important: a living expression of what is possible when dignity, freedom, ownership, and prosperity reinforce one another.

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​The Christian missions community in Haiti is not small. Thousands of organizations have poured out decades of effort, prayer, and sacrifice there. Many have seen real fruit. But most would acknowledge that the scale of need is constantly outpacing the interventions, and that restructuring a broken system is not the role of the church as an institution. What is entirely appropriate — even a calling — is for Jesus-followers to bring their skills, resources, and influence to bear on helping dismantle the trap — or better: support new structures beyond it.

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And there is a specific, concrete way to do that: seeding Phase 1.

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Phase 1 is donor capital — approximately $1 billion to be invested, not handed out. It is the hardest money to raise because it carries the most risk and offers no guaranteed return. This is precisely where patient, mission-aligned capital — the kind the church and Haitian diaspora represent — is most needed and most powerful.

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Phases 2 and 3 are a different conversation entirely. Once Phase 1 gains traction — once mortgages are being repaid, assets are appreciating, and the lending portfolio is performing — capital becomes investor capital, repaid with interest. By then, the church steps back and the market takes over.

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This is a call for the church to do what it has always done best: believe — in the face of uncertainty, before the evidence is overwhelming — and act with conviction, courage, and compassion.

That is what Phase 1 requires. And that is something the church is uniquely positioned to do.

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What Would It Take?

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Phase 1 requires $1 billion. That is a large number. It is also, in global development terms, a remarkably efficient one — to achieve such outcomes.

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Who could write that check? The World Bank. The Inter-American Development Bank. A multi-national coalition. Sovereign wealth funds. A billionaire philanthropist. Possibly some combination of all of these. But ultimately — those willing to go first. So we've launched the First $1 Million campaign.

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We don’t pretend the path is obvious or the obstacles are small. Haiti SAR is a big, risky, complicated idea — unrealistic, right up until the moment it isn’t. But so is every meaningful development breakthrough in modern history.​

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If you’ve read this far, you likely care about Haiti. Deeply.

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This idea is still in its infancy. The vision is clear. The proof of concept exists. But turning vision into reality starts with one thing: getting this in front of the right people.

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So here's the ask:

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If this resonates with you, share it — with a personal note to someone who should read it. A decision-maker in Christian missions. An influential church leader. A leader in the Haitian diaspora. A foundation, or others with resources. That personal note matters more than you know.

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And if you or someone you know has the capacity to fund Phase 1 — or open doors to those who do — please reach out directly. Funding is the starting point for this. Everything else follows from there.

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The ideas that change the world rarely start with unanimous agreement. They start when enough people have seen enough — and decide that something better is worth pursuing.

 

Haiti deserves better. North America can be a better neighbor. And maybe — just maybe — the church has a role in making it real.