This is a great concept and, in my opinion, a much more effective use of money to improve the world than a classic charity because you can do some good and, in most cases, get your money back to do more good. When you get your money back you can either re-invest it or cash it out; thus effectively improving the world at an extremely low cost."Kiva lets you connect with and loan money to unique small businesses in the developing world. By choosing a business on Kiva.org, you can "sponsor a business" and help the world's working poor make great strides towards economic independence. Throughout the course of the loan (usually 6-12 months), you can receive email journal updates from the business you've sponsored. As loans are repaid, you get your loan money back."
Friday, November 24, 2006
Help Developing Countries
Today I found Kiva.org. Kiva is a non-profit organization that provides micro-loans to small businesses in developing countries. From the web site:
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Hi James,
Thanks for the post on Kiva. You've given your readers a unique way to connect to something worthwhile, in a very practical way. One other thing that makes this poverty alleviation tool so effective is the community aspect: the social networking capabilities of the portal allow for dialogue between lender and borrower, who can now see where the individual loans are coming from. Hence, by making one's loan portfolio public, the next comment on the lender's blog could, in fact, come from the borrower!
Regards,
Tim (volunteer with Kiva.org)
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