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.

Kiva - March 2014

March is quickly drawing to to a close and that means keeping up my New Year's resolution to support a micro-loan on Kiva.  Over the last two months I've discovered I'm typically drawn to many loans that not only support the lender (obviously) but have a positive environmental impact and this month's loan follows a similar approach.

Matay (Tanzania)

A loan of $1,875 helps Matay to purchase biodigesters for resale.

Matay lives in Gongali Village, Arusha, Tanzania. His main activities are agriculture and animal husbandry. Matay is among several people in Gongali who are really excited with the TAHUDE Foundation's biodigester initiative to provide renewable energy to the rural Tanzanian community.

This loan will help Matay to realize his dream. The biodigester will help Matay to cut down his family expenditure on energy for cooking and lighting. It will also be a blessing to the whole community because a few more trees will NOT be cut for cooking as a result of Matay's biodigester. Moreover, his family health will also improve after they stop cooking with poisonous trees that produce harmful smoke. They will enormously benefit because the biodigester also produces low-cost lighting at night.

At the time of this blog entry, Matay's loan has been 30% supported and has $1300 USD funds to raise to completion.

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

I also have an exciting update on Sreyleang's loan from January 2014 - she's started the process of paying back her loan (a month earlier than expected, even)!  I did go into a state of giddiness when I saw her first repayment (and incidentally my first received repayment) drop into my Kiva portfolio.  That money has already been put back into good use supporting Matay.  How cool is that?

Please join me on Kiva!

Kiva - February 2014

Last month I shared with you my New Years Resolution for 2014:

Once a month, support a loan on Kiva.

You can read about my January lender story in this post, which also has a brief description of what Kiva is all about (in a nutshell, $25 USD donations to micro loans).  Needless to say, it's a great and worthwhile cause and I've loved being involved even after just two months.

Well, February has come and gone so it was high time I decided on a new lender to support.  I'm really excited about this initiative - partly because of the purpose of the loan and partly because this is one of a series of new loans that are repaid through a new 'carbon credits' system, which is linked with helping encourage people to reduce their carbon footprint.  It's like a win-win system on top of an already win-win system!

Christine (Kenya)

A portion of Christine's $1500 group loan helps a member provide communities with free access to chlorine to treat their drinking water.  This health initiative will help to prevent water-borne diseases, which often cause residents to be unable to work or attend school.  The use of chlorine will also remove the need to first boil the water, thereby reducing the village's carbon footprint.

At the time of this blog entry, Christine's group loan has been 21% supported and has $1175 USD funds to raise to completion.

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

I really cannot say enough wonderful things about Kiva.  Sound interesting?  Please join me!

Kiva - January 2014

Today I'd like to share something truly special with you.  For the past few years I've been very good about making - and keeping - one or two New Years resolutions.  Last month I mentioned that I was still working out what my resolution(s) would be this year; there are a few new crafting skills I'd like to learn but I hadn't gotten beyond that and I wanted something that would make a greater impact - if not in my own life then in some other way.

Well, the 2013 season of Project Runway has been airing over here all month and my friends and I are big Project Runway fans (why didn't we get to be on the 'superfans' episode?!).  Anyway, I digress.  During one episode, the designers met various professionals who would be their inspiration and this included the creator of Kiva.org.  Now, I actually remember years ago hearing about Kiva when it was in its grassroots phase but I never quite got around to looking into it further.  That has now changed, though, I'm pleased to say.

So, here it is - my New Years resolution for 2014:

Once a month, support a loan on Kiva.

For just $25 USD people from around the world can help to fund micro loans to those in need - for food, housing, education, livelihood, etc.  I don't know about you but I pay more than that every week when I go out to supper with my girl friends so I can certainly shell out that amount to help someone else.  Oh, and the even better part is when the loan is re-paid, you can put your repayment to good use funding another loan - how awesome is that?

Yesterday I contributed to my first loan (and was on an emotional high for the rest of the day and still am a bit today if I'm being honest).

Sreyleang (Cambodia)

Sreyleang has requested a $1000 USD loan for the purpose of installing a hygenic latrine for her family.  With the help of the loan, Sreyleang and her husband won't have to dip into their savings funds, which may assist them in returning their children to school, in addition to the health benefits of better sanitation.

I'm pleased to say that within hours of my contribution to Sreyleang's loan, the amount was fully funded.

If you would like to read the full details of Sreyleang's story, you can read her Kiva loan request here.

I honestly can't tell you how excited I've been over this decision and taking action in such a meaningful way.  Sound interesting?  Please join me!