kiva - loans that change lives

KIVA is a website where you loan money to entrepreneurs in developing countries to help finance their business so they can lift themselves out of poverty.

For Christmas a couple years ago, my sister made a KIVA loan (donation) in my name as a Christmas gift. I chose to loan the $ to a woman in Tanzania who had started a grain business. She intended to use the loan to purchase additional stock of rice, maize and beans in bulk. My small donation was only a portion of the full loan amount she had requested, but through KIVA 10 other people made small donations to match her entire loan request. She had a repayment plan of 14 months and was able to repay the full amount within 12 months. Since my $ has been repaid, I have now re-loaned to another woman in Nigeria who has a food supply business.

I think this site is a great way to get involved and help someone far away realize their dreams and provide for their family. Many people make small donations to large charities but they don't get to see where or how their donation is making a difference. KIVA let's you read about who you are donating to and what their goals are...very interesting and inspiring!

I encourage everyone to check out the site! http://www.kiva.org/