I’ve been a Kiva supporter for some time. I love the way that this microfinancing system allows you to effectively invest in the entrepreneurial dreams of those who live in a completely different world. It also allows you to choose where (and to whom) your investment flows. This means that you can choose to support education initiatives for women or to help establish a retail shop in a village in Nicaragua – and you can do so starting with $25.
When I first started with Kiva, I saw it as a donation. I never really expected to see this money returned. But 50 loans later, this has changed. You see, Kiva is not about charity – it’s about entrepreneurship. It’s about helping people change their lives … and supporting them to do so.
Kiva have field partners who provide supervision and support on the ground. They work to ensure the loan is successful. And repaid. In fact, the repayment rate for Kiva loans is 98.84%.
Take a look at the video below. It shows how, since 2005, more than $240 million in Kiva investments have been made to over 620,000 entrepreneurs. More than 80% of these are to women entrepreneurs. And as the video also shows, the vast majority of these are repaid – and can then be reinvested as you choose. Seriously, if you ever wanted to change the world – here’s a way to get started. Start with Kiva.
Intercontinental Ballistic Microfinance from Kiva Microfunds on Vimeo.
I had heard of this site years ago but never got involved. Thanks for bringing it back to my attention! I think stuff like this is great. People helpin’ people – it’s powerful stuff!