Kiva - August 2015

Hello again!  I'm excited to share that this month's Kiva loan has been 100% funded by returned investments - yeah!

Parveen (Pakistan)

A loan of $200 helps Parveen increase her tailoring business.

Parveen is 46 years old woman, she lives in Rawalpindi, Pakistan, with her 4 children. Her husband has been working in the public sector organization for many years. Parveen is also providing sewing services and earn the income to contribute with her husband to manage the household.

She is needs different kinds of goods e.g needles, threads, pieces of cloth, machine oil etc for her business purpose, but due to insufficient financial means she is unable to purchase these accessories. Therefore she has applied for Kiva loan from its field partner BRAC Pakistan. This loan will enable her to purchase these above accessories and also helpful for her to increase monthly sales and profit by providing better sewing services.

At the time of this post, Parveen's loan is 37% funded.  Kiva is also currently giving out free trials to new Kiva members, which means you get a free $25 USD sum to donate as you see fit if you join now.

Kiva - July 2015

Welcome back to this month's Kiva investment.

Wilman (Honduras)

A loan of $2,300 helps Wilman to buy 30 hives for his apiary.

Wilman is a farmer who is 35 years old, he is single and works especially in the production and sale of coffee and organic honey. He has more than 7 years of experience in the production of organic honey and he owns a very large apiary. Wilman has a son and his dream is to form a small patrimony so that his son can have better opportunities.

The production of organic honey is an novel activity in the region, as the weather conditions are adequate and the large existence of plants causes production to be abundant. Though Wilman has had this occupation for quite some time, the practices of organic rules have made his apiary more sustainable. Producing organic honey gives him better opportunities in the market for the product, to produce more without harming bees, and to take care of the environment with an apiary where good practices are put in place.

Curretnly, Wilman asks for a loan to expand his apiary, he wishes to obtain around 30 more hives, which will help him to have a better income to be able to support all his needs, and those of his son.

Like the idea of investing in micro-loans that make a real difference in real people?  Join Kiva today!

First Kiva Loan Repaid!

Good morning!  I have some exciting news to share!

Earlier this week I received the first full repayment of one of my Kiva loans!

Back in November of last year, I helped to fund Remedios' loan, which would pay for her children's
school expenses for the year.  Eight months later, the loan has been repaid and I'm looking forward to re-investing the money into a new Kiva loan.

On her Kiva loan profile page, Remedios had this to say to lenders:

"Salamat! (Thank you!)

Your financial help realized my hopes and dreams as a PMPC Client. I don't have to worry about supporting my family and can sufficiently provide for my needs. You being a LENDER has the commitment to borrower like me is nothing less inspiring. Thank you so much!"

- Remedios

Kiva - June 2015

New month, new Kiva loan.  Please allow me to introduce Santiago...

Santiago (Honduras)

A loan of $4,575 helps Santiago to buy the necessary materials for converting to organic crops, such as coffee plants, organic plant food and fertilizer.

Santiago is married and is responsible for three children. He produces coffee for different organizations such as Comercio Justo (Fair Trade), Rain Forest and other well-recognized organizations. Now Santiago wants to make his coffee plantation organic. These quality certifications will open more markets for selling his coffee, and, on a personal level, Santiago dreams of giving his family a better quality of life and of working to preserve the environment.

The production of organic coffee is a new technique in the region, which will help to protect the area's biodiversity and ensure better markets for the product. Santiago has more than 10 years' experience in coffee production: "With our experience, and the support of COCAFCAL in the implementation of the new techniques, we will succeed."

Currently, Santiago has set himself the challenge of converting one hectare to 100% organic production, and needs to pay for several things, including coffee plants, organic plant food and fertilizers, labor costs, and other costs associated with the replanting of a coffee plantation under the regulations for organic farming.

A loan will help Santiago convert his land for organic coffee-production, and he hopes to improve his family's quality of life with the earnings.

At the time of this writing Santiago's loan is 48% funded - consider helping him to realise his dreams.

And for fellow geeks like me, check out this cool real-time Kiva lender map & stats. You can watch loans being made in real time, from where in the world they originate and where they go along with a feed describing each loan, new Kiva members and other cool stuff.  There's also a table filled with all sorts of stats.

Kiva - May 2015

Surprise!  This month I got a jump on my Kiva loan!  I'm often on the hunt for supporting girls and women's schooling - way to go, Andrea!

Andrea (Paraguay)

A loan of $225 helps Andrea to pay university tuition fees.

Andrea is from the city of Luque. She is studying for a degree in accounting. She is working as hard as she can in order to be a successful professional who can help other people.

Andrea says that she would like to finish her studies and work as a freelance accountant for other businesses.

Andrea is applying for this loan in order to continue paying tuition fees. She is grateful for this help that will allow her to improve her life through her studies.

At the time of this writing, Andrea's loan is 44% funded, although I have no doubt that she will soon receive all the funding she needs.  You can get involved and help others such as Andrea, too!

Kiva - April 2015

It's been a while since I've funded a group loan and this one jumped out at me as a great initiative; I'm a big supporter of empowering people.

Langalanga Organic Farmers Self Help Group (Kenya)

A portion of Langalanga Organic Farmers Self Help Group's $225 loan helps a member to buy farm inputs such as seeds and fertilizer that will help boost her harvest.

The lady raising her hand in the photo is Jane. She is married and blessed with seven children. She joined Hand in Hand Eastern Africa (HiH EA) in June 2014.

Jane is a farmer of maize, beans and potatoes. She is grateful to HiH EA for developing her entrepreneurial spirit through training and mentorship. This has enabled her to pursue farming as a business, unlike before, where it was predominantly for subsistence.

She is borrowing a Kiva loan to buy farm inputs in readiness for the upcoming planting season. She hopes that with better seeds and fertilizers, she will get a bumper harvest at the end of the season, enough for her family consumption and to sell, which will enable her to support her family needs and education for her children.

Jane is grateful to Kiva and its lenders for their support. She promises to repay the loan promptly.

At the time of this writing, this loan is 33% funded.  It's easy to get involved today, with this loan or another of your choosing.

Kiva - March 2015

Oops!  I just realised that I missed sharing my March Kiva loan so here's a little belated update...

Geoffrey (Kenya)

A loan of $275 helped Geoffrey to buy a dairy cow to enable him to supply milk to get more income to pay school fees for his children.

Geoffrey is 24 years old, married to Mary, and they are blessed with two children. He is a dairy farmer and this has been profitable for the last five years he has been in this business.

Geoffrey has applied for his first loan of KES 25,000 from Vision Fund Kenya to buy a dairy cow to enable him supply milk and get more income. He plans to use the generated profits to educate his children and to expand his farming by buying farm inputs.

His future hopes are to expand his farming business and be successful.

Happily, Geoffrey's loan is now fully funded but you can still get involved with another entrepreneur on Kiva today!

Kiva - February 2015

Hello, there!

This month I got a bit of a head start on my Kiva loan, which is probably good considering how short February is...  The moment I saw this loan, I knew I had to get behind it.

Najuma (Uganda)

A loan of $1,750 helps Najuma to buy construction materials for expanding the drug shop.

Najuma is a 29-year-old mother of one, aged three years, from Kambuzi, Kigoma, Bushenyi district. She is a drug shop operator who works 12 hours a day. She started this business on July 15, 2013 to generate an income and treat the local population which was in need in her area. She was referred to UGAFODE by one of the institution’s clients and so this is her first loan from UGAFODE.

She has applied for a loan of UGX 5,000,000 to purchase construction materials for her building which is under construction, where she will transform the drug shop to enlarge it into a bigger clinic. She hopes to have a good and standard medical facility around the Kambuzi area to treat the sick who are mostly her clients. She faces the challenge of most clients coming to buy drugs and not having enough money plus poor government policies that are ever against the operation of a drug shop. Also, without forgetting the lack of enough income to buy in bulk which would give her leverage on price thus availing herself of cheaper drugs for the local population. She describes herself as an honest lady and thanks UGAFODE as a whole very much for the support rendered to her in the business.

 At the time of this writing, Najuma's loan is 37% funded - why not help her out and get involved today?

Kiva - January 2015

Hello, hello!

So having finished my goal of funding a Kiva loan every month for 2014, I'm happily continuing into 2015.  This year my portfolio begins with Nastasha...

Natasha (Albania)

A loan of $2,050 helps Natasha to repair the roofing of her family house, as they live in the coldest region of the country where the snow and the cold damages the roofs of villagers very often.

Natasha is seeking your financial help to repair the roofing of her family house. Kindly note that she lives in the coldest region of Albania with lots of snow and rain. Due to the climate factors, house roofs destroy easily and fast as well. With about 10 percent of the loan, she will buy a cheap couch type of thing.

Natasha does agriculture/livestock, and she does not sell any of her products, whether dairy or fresh produce. All in all, she owns about 18 dynyms of agricultural land where she plants wheat in 8 dynym and gives the wheat to the bread factory in return for the bread she needs for the year. In 7 dynym, she plants rye, and in the other two, she plants beets. Both of these go for food for her animals that she has, in total 10 goats and six sheep. The cheese she makes from the animals is for family use.

In addition to this, she makes about $200/month retirement pension. Her husband receives a pension as well of about $144/month in addition to other pay as a night man in a nearby scrap-collecting yard.

At the time of this writing, Nastasha's loan request is only 46% funded.  Why not look her up yourself and get involved today!

Kiva - December 2014

Hi, there! Last month I finished catching myself up on my 2014 Kiva loans and here is the last one!  I can never seem to keep myself up-to-date posting these...where do the months go?

Christy (Philippines)

A loan of $675 helps Christy to buy new fishing nets, lead weights, floaters and fuel.

Christy lives in Carles, Iloilo. She is in the fishing business, since her husband is a fisherman. They have been in this business for 16 years. Christy does her best to help and support her husband in meeting their needs, especially in raising their five children, aged five to 14.

Christy is requesting a loan to buy new fishing nets, lead weights, floaters and fuel. This investment would be a great help in increasing her husband's catch.

Christy dreams of expanding the business to earn more for the family. She also wants to give her children a better education, and this loan would be a great help toward making her dreams real.

You too can get involved and contribute to a loan today!

And on that note, my I say that I have now officially completed my 2014 resolution to fund a Kiva loan each month for the year!  It's an amazing feeling knowing that I'm helping to empower people around the world to reach their dreams and better still knowing that the returns on my investments will go toward future loans, thereby continuing the cycle.  Thanks, Kiva!

Kiva - November 2014

Welcome back to a new year and a slight backlog of Kiva loans!  :D

Remedios (Philippines)

A loan of $175 helps Remedios to pay for her children's school expenses this school year.

Remedios is married and has 5 children. Her husband is a fisherman. They live in Plaridel-Danao, Philippines. Remedios supports the daily needs of the family by selling the catch of her husband and by buying the catch of her neighbors to sell. In January of 2014, Remedios applied for membership in Paglaum Multi-Purpose Cooperative (PMPC) after she learned of the benefits offered by the Co-op to its members. She became a member in good standing and has received several loans, which were repaid in a timely manner. She is a persevering mother who wants nothing more but to see all her children achieve their diplomas and have stable jobs. Remedios is in need of financial assistance. She requested a loan of 7,000 PHP to pay for her children's school expenses this school year. Someday, she hopes to build a concrete house for the family.

You too can get involved and contribute to a loan today!

UPDATE: As of June 26, 2015, Remedios' loan was fully repaid.  See the update here.

Kiva - October 2014

October has come to a close so it's time to make my monthly Kiva loan contribution.  I love it when I stumble across opportunities for big impact, such as a school that is providing improvements for its student body.  As a teacher, that clearly hits close to home but also the fact that this one contribution will positively improve 250+ people's lives, both on an immediate and long-term basis is just plain awesome.  Awesome.

Jinja Central School (Uganda)

A loan of $1,150 helps Jinja Central School to purchase a water filtration system to provide clean drinking water for its students.   

Greetings from Uganda! This is Justus. He is the Head Teacher of Jinja Central Primary School, a mixed school in the urban area of Jinja with 525 students. Jinja Central Primary School has requested a loan to cover the cost of installing and maintaining a UV water filtration system to provide clean drinking water for its students. The school does not currently have access to consistent clean drinking water and therefore has to spend a considerable portion of its budget on firewood, which is used to boil water for the children. Installing a water filtration system will therefore save the school money in the long-term as the cost of firewood will be reduced. The loan will enable the school to purchase a UV water treatment system with a 450 litre tank, which will be big enough to store clean drinking water for the students every day.

Jinja Central Primary School will repay their loan from their school fees, which they collect each term. Justus ultimately hopes that having access to safe drinking water will improve his student’s concentration and attendance by reducing the number of children that fall sick from water-borne diseases as well as increase the number of students coming to the school.

You too can get involved and contribute to a loan today!

Kiva - September 2014

Another month down and time for another Kiva loan.  It's not often that many medical loan requests come up but this one really caught my eye so I jumped on board.

Kalsoom (Pakistan)

A loan of $300 helps Kalsoom to buy medical instruments, medicine, injections, and glucose for her husband's clinic. 

Kalsoom is a 57-year-old woman with three children who lives in Lahore, Pakistan. She has to look after her family at home.

Her husband owns a medical clinic to provide first aid services to his patients. He was trained by a professional MBBS doctor. He owns his own small clinic to treat patients and assist them to recover. He has become very famous in the society. He wants to establish his clinic with the latest medical instruments, medicines, injections, and glucose, but he does not have enough capital.

Therefore, Kalsoom requests a loan for her husband to purchase medicines so that he could earn maximum profit. 

Kiva - August 2014

Hello and welcome back!  I'm quite excited about my August donation.  I've been wanting to support an educational cause for some time now and Rosalba's story really jumped out.

Rosalba (Colombia)

A loan of $800 helps Rosalba to buy educational material for the children in her daycare.

Rosalba is a community mother who dedicates her life to helping others. She works with children, caring for them while their mothers work. They are low income people and have government help. Her work is to be admired, because it is not well paid. Her services provide her with what she needs to live. She doesn't seek luxuries, she only wants to offer a service.

She is asking for a loan to buy educational materials for the children. It is a beautiful thing that Rosalba will help all the people who have children with the loan, paying for it with a great community united for the same cause.

Her dream is to get ahead with her family and to see those neighborhood children grow and to guide them down the right path.

I'm happy to say that I was one of the final people to fulfill Rosalba's loan amount.  I also wanted to share with you a new video that perfectly demonstrates the brilliance behind Kiva:

Join Kiva today!

Kiva - July 2014

Okay, last catch-up on my recent Kiva loans (can I still claim it's recent, even if I'm a month late in posting?)

Andres (Mexico)

A loan of $4,625 helped Andres to produce organic cucumber.

Andres is a 24-year-old rural entrepreneur from Yecapixtla, México. Andres has been working for Truequio, a cooperative that produces organic cucumber for the past 2 years.

Andres is asking for a loan to start producing organic cucumber on his own and become part of the cooperative he now works for. With this loan, he will be able to rent a greenhouse and buy seeds and some machinery.

Laura, Andres’s 22-year-old sister will help him with the cucumber. They are the first two members of their family to earn a college degree and instead of looking for a job away from their hometown they want create jobs in their community.

Laura and Andres still live in their parents’ house where they have set up a small greenhouse in order to try different types of seeds and agricultural practices. Andrés and Laura’s goal is to earn enough money to buy their own greenhouse and expand their production and employ more people in their community.

Just One Slab - A Follow-Up

Hello, hello!

This post has been a long time in coming.  Last summer southern Alberta suffered a horrible flood that caused great damage and thousands of people lost their homes; absolutely tragic.  Among the many who jumped to their aid was Cheryl Arkison of Dining Room Empire, who organised and led not only local Albertan quilters but international quilters into creating relief quilts for flood victims and I'm so proud to count myself among the many contributors.  I wanted to take a little time to reflect back on this amazing project and share with you Cheryl's update posts throughout the project.

I first stumbled across Cheryl's "Just One Slab" project last July, which you can see in this post.  The project immediately grabbed my interest (and heart) and I was hooked.  Within a day or two, I had already whipped up 7 slabs and was so excited.  Incidentally, I totally fell in love with the green and orange slab blocks so I kept them for my own slab quilt and then sewed two replacement blocks for the charity.  Within the week they were winging their way from Sweden to Alberta...

Throughout the last year, Cheryl has periodically updated her own blog on the progress of the Just One Slab project.  In her Round 1 Update you can see the amazingly beautiful rainbow coloured piles of slab blocks and some of the first few quilt tops created from the donations.  I just love this photo; it gives me warm fuzzy feelings:

Then in her Round 2 Update you can see a large number of completed quilt tops.  In fact, I even spied one of my contributed blocks - so exciting!  Check it out:

Bottom row, second block from the left - that's mine!

How cool is that?!  Out of the 9 blocks I made and sent, I actually found one used in a quilt!  Pretty impressive when you consider that the project received over 2000 blocks!  More cool stats about the project can be found in this post (along with some more photos, of course).

Eventually delivery day came...  This is such a heart-warming post you just need to read it for yourself.  So lovely, too, to see all of the delivery volunteers and the children getting involved.  There is also something just simply beautiful to me about this photo; I can't describe what it is but I just love it:

And finally, Cheryl herself looks back on the wrapping up of the project one year on from its conception.  Yes, even after an entire year, the last few slabs are still going into quilt tops and will find homes with those who need them.

Thank you, Cheryl, for the opportunity to reach out, help those in need and join in your truly inspiring initiative.  I feel truly grateful to have been a part of making a difference and paying it forward.

Kiva - June 2014

Continuing to catch myself up on sharing my Kiva project, today we're looking back to the loan I supported in June.

Kiima Foods (Uganda)

A loan of $25,000 helped Kiima Foods to buy and sell Barefoot Power Solar Lighting products.

Kiima Foods is a farmer-registered organization with an objective of improving the livelihood of the rural poor people (1200 households) through increased access and usage of clean energy.

The loan applied for will be used to increase the working capital for the solar lighting and phone-charging project that is benefiting the rural people. The loan is intended to be used to procure 400 solar systems at once. Through this bulk purchase, the business will access a price discount and increase the business returns.

The loan is planned to extend to the active poor people a loan system that will enable them to access solar systems and pay gradually over 12 months.

Six Month Kiva Update
And in case you've been wondering what the current status is on my previously supported lenders this year, here's a little update.

January -  Sreyleang (Cambodia), building latrine: 30% repaid
February - Christine (Kenya), chlorinated drinking water: repayment begins 2016
March - Matay (Tanzania), purchased biodigesters: 25% repaid
April - Salome (Kenya), purchased irrigation kit: 24% repaid
May - Carlos Alberto (Mexico), community recycling programme start-up: repayment begins Dec. 2014
May 2014 Bonus - Milagro (Columbia), sewing business supplies: 14% repaid
June - Kiima Foods (Uganda), bulk purchase of solar power units: repayment begins 2015

Kiva - May 2014 BONUS!

Oh my, I've suddenly realised that I'm quite a bit behind in sharing my Kiva project the last few months.

Back in May I was pleased to receive a bonus $25 donation sum from the Kiva team, to use as I saw fit.  How cool!  So, I put it to good use here:

Milagro (Columbia)

A loan of $550 helps Milagro to buy a sewing machine, fabric, thread, and sewing accessories.

Milagro, 39, has a business making clothing for men, women and children. She has 17 years of experience. When she was very young, in the year 1997, she learned how to sew and decided to set up a dressmaking workshop so that she could help her husband with the household expenses that he had been in charge of covering. Today, she buys supplies in cash from the dressmaking supply stores, and she sells in part for cash and in part on credit, depending on the type of customer.

Milagro works every day from 8am until 8pm, because she has a lot of goals to achieve, such as buying more sewing machines, and completing the remodel work on her house. However, increasing her production is a great challenge, along with retaining her customers and being able to save. At this time, she is applying for a Kiva loan, the first financing that she has done through Fundacion Mario Santo Domingo. With this loan she will buy a sewing machine, fabric, thread, and accessories so that she can make new designs, increase her productivity, and improve the quality of her final products.

As always, if you find the Kiva project just as awesome and inspiring as I do, you can easily get involved by checking out their website: Kiva.org.

Kiva - May 2014

Before I go any further, I have a great offer to share with you:

Currently on Kiva, you can sign up and make a FREE donation to any micro-loan (funded by a generous donor) and in doing so, the donor will make a second FREE donation for me to use!  This limited time offer is only open until June 30 so if you've been thinking of getting involved with this worthwhile project, now is the time!  Myself and the thousands of loan requesters looking to improve their lives and the world around them thank you!

And now back to my post...

Right, so while I did make my monthly donation to Kiva in May, I never actually got around to sharing it with you.  Now a month later, it seems like time - better late than never, after all.

Carlos Alberto (Mexico)

A loan of $3,900 helps Carlos Alberto to buy a plastic compactor machine to start a community recycling program.

Carlos and Alonso are two community firemen fighting forest fires in Villaflores, Chiapas. They need 50,000 MXP to start a community recycling program. The program will reduce landfill pollution and provide an extra income source for more than 10 families.

Carlos and Alonso have already set up the collection routes and they have secured a buyer for the 5 Tons of plastic they will collect each month. With this loan, Carlos and Alonso will have the money to buy the plastic compactor machine they need to start the recycling program.

Kiva - April 2014

Well, another month is quickly drawing to a close so it's time for another micro-loan donation on Kiva.  A quick browse through the listings and this one jumped out at me.

Salome (Kenya)

A loan of $350 helps Salome to purchase an irrigation kit.

Meet Salome, a mother of 10 children, who has been farming for the last 40 years. She comes from Eldoret, home to many famous Kenyan marathon runners. She makes money selling milk, eggs and vegetables from her farm. Her real passion lies in horticulture despite the challenges she faces with the high inputs involved.

Like typical smallholder farmers, Salome cannot access formal financial solutions from the bank. She has teamed up with a couple of local women to form and register a group that might be recognized by some micro finance institutions. With an untamed ambition and a clear path to success, Salome is seeking a loan to buy an irrigation kit to water her vegetables.

The adoption of this kit will ensure a constant provision of water for her plants, even during the dry season. Crop yields are also expected to rise significantly, leading to more income for Salome to cater to her home expenses. With your support, Salome is going to grow into a formidable entrepreneur and raise the living standards of her children.

At the time of this blog entry, Salome's loan has been 57% supported and has $150 USD funds to raise to completion.

If you would like to read the full details of Salome's story and perhaps even add your support, you can read her Kiva loan request here.