“...Haiti is the next case study...” he continues with an assertive yet commanding voice, this man a prominent economist... “the next case study... not to repeat” he concludes. Did I say he looks a dead ringer for president Obama?
This man is not only an economic guru giving out his radio show across the capital city on advise when he not a professor, but also Haiti’s former midfield football player, World Cup commentator and also advisor to Government and now NGOs.
It’s really a bizarre journey that I find myself in Kesner Pheral’s office. He’s sitting behind his desk filled with journals and books and his mini-mac on his desk as he explains with great commanding voice about the economic challenges of his country.
I conveniently don’t tell him that I failed my economics class at school.
He says the main problem in Haiti is that the NGO’s don’t have the capacity to manage the reconstruction.... Now NGO’s are a business in Haiti. The highest per capita in the world.
Interestingly, I heard the same mantra from the Department for International Development. That NGOs just aren’t project managers in the same way that the Private sector are.
Kesner keeps giving us pearls of insight and when we tell him of our mission he gives us a proverbial “put on the back” by saying he wishes us well and sees the value, but his voice seemed to have a accent of you are speaking in “ideals” and “perfect world” scenarios.
You know when you are in the presence of greatness and I found myself filling with huge respect for this man and his work giving advise to help his country at grassroots levels and to the re-builders of his country.
Did I say that he looked and sounded like Obama?
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