There are no streets in southeastern Connecticut — all of Connecticut, really — that compare to those in and around Port-au-Prince: the roads alternate between paved and dirt, and potholes the size of kiddie pools are common.

On our third day here, after getting bounced up off of my seat for the 545th time and watching our driver cross into oncoming traffic to avoid a road crater for the 982nd time, I had to know:

"Do they fix potholes here?"

Emily Smack, executive director for the Norwich Diocese Haitian Ministries, was right on it.

"Yes," she said. "You’ll see five guys standing around one, filling it in with sand and rocks, and another couple of guys asking for money."

Smack was serious. As to whether this public works project is government affiliated, she said no. The guys are doing the repairs on their own, she said, and asking for donations for their generosity.