Even a language teacher can be a global financier!
I whole-heartedly support Kiva, and urge you to consider helping the working poor. One small contribution will make a huge difference to another person in our global community.
This is such a brilliant idea! I’ve been a member for years now, and have loaned $25 at a time to many, many “friends” out there in the world. Never once has a person defaulted, even in countries where the odds are staggeringly against success. The loan recipients, with business guidance from agencies in their area, have borrowed, created and expanded their businesses, and repaid the loans.
My first loan was combined with others to help a small cooperative of 5 women pool their resources and energy to start a chicken-raising business. I admired them so much for their courage and commitment, and the fact that they guaranteed each other—they guaranteed that if one of them fell behind, the others would cover her portion of the debt. They, like all the others, paid back every cent.
Kiva offers so much information–if I want to, I can follow their repayments, their progress, and I frequently get updates from their sponsoring “field fellow” about how things are going now for them. I can choose to loan to a man or woman, or a group. I can choose whether to loan to someone in the Americas or anywhere else around the world. I’ve given $25 gift certificates to family and friends, so they can reach out and connect to the world also.
