Kiva

Mike Slattery | Women and Associations for Gain both Economic and Social (WAGES) , Togo

McGill University (B.A. English Literature, 2003), York University (Masters Environmental Studies, 2010)

Togo

Michael is a native of Toronto, Canada, and worked most recently as a service agent for the Canada Revenue Agency (the Canadian equivalent to the USA's beloved Internal Revenue Service). Prior to this he lived in Kenya while interning with the United Nations Environmental Programme in Nairobi, in their Ecosystem Services Economics unit. His Masters research was on a community agroforestry project located in Kenya's semi-arid Eastern District. Like any self-respecting graduate of a literature programme, he has planted trees in northern Canada; genuflected in the service industry; abandoned long-denied and well-hidden ambitions of writing the next great Canadian novel (revolving around existential questions that arise from chopping wood in the winter snows); and argued vigorously with strangers over matters of which he is entirely ignorant. He is looking forward to living in Togo, and visiting the region, particularly Nigeria, where he has a very large offshore banking account. Michael speaks English and French well enough to quote the Income Tax Act to the average citizen without scaring them too much. He also used to speak Swahili well enough to make East Africans think he was a kind but (typically) strange foreigner with a serious speech impediment.

Allison Moomey | Finadev Benin , Benin

Pepperdine University, International Business

Benin

Allison graduated with a BS in International Business from Pepperdine University, during which time she studied in Paris, France and Chiang Mai, Thailand. She has since returned to Thailand on multiple occasions to support an NGO that works to support those affected by the conflict in Burma. After graduating she spent a couple years teaching business and then chemistry at a low-income high school in Colorado. She studied business with the intention of working in economic development and has enjoyed the opportunity to use her degree in Burkina Faso and now Bénin. After learning about microfinance firsthand as a Kiva Fellow, she will be attending Yale School of Management. After earning her MBA, she hopes to jump back into the world of sustainable economic development.

Carrie Nguyen | Asociación Arariwa , Peru

BA Economics and Psychology, Yale University

Peru

Carrie grew up in San Jose, CA, and though she now lives in New York City, she considers herself a California girl at heart. Carrie studied Economics and Psychology at Yale University, with a focus on consumer choice and decision making. She has long been intrigued by microfinance, and developed an affinity for Latin American culture after spending a summer in Buenos Aires - which was quickly followed by a longer program in Madrid. After graduating from college, Carrie volunteered in Vietnam as an English teacher then joined a management consulting firm. Carrie's work experience encompasses both public and private sector and a number of industries spanning transportation, energy, telecom, and healthcare. Additionally, her job has sent her to such far flung places as South Africa and the United Arab Emirates. Carrie loves to travel, eat, and explore. Her adventurous spirit is embodied by the mantra: "Try everything at least once."

Andrew Huelsenbeck | Faulu Kenya , Kenya

B.A. in Philosophy, Princeton University

Kenya

Andrew's interest in microfinance and development was first piqued in 2007, when he served as one of the first interns for the New York chapter of a start-up microfinance organization called Wokai. After graduating in 2009, he worked as a civil legal assistant while also taking political economics classes at NYU and coordinating community-building projects for New York Cares. Andrew hopes that his Kiva Fellowship at BRAC Uganda will enable him to learn more about efficient NGO operations, microfinance, and the intersection of technology and development.

Whitney Webb | Vision Finance Company s.a. (VFC), a partner of World Vision International , Rwanda

University of Florida, BA in Business Administration

Rwanda

Whitney was first on an airplane at 5 days old and has been traveling ever since. Besides the many mission trips to the Caribbean and Latin America, she traveled independently throughout Europe, the Middle East, and the Americas. After graduating from University of Florida, she moved to New York City to work at a hedge fund, performing financial research for the CEO and founding partner. During her three years there, she also volunteered at the International Center where she taught English and helped foreigners become better acclimated to life in the USA. Inspired by the people she taught, Whitney left her job and began a year of travel which included volunteer work in Laos, Vietnam, and Cambodia. She spent two months working at an NGO in Siem Reap where she taught English at an orphanage and secured the first large grant for the organization. After seeing firsthand the struggles of so many around the world, Whitney is excited to learn about microfinance as a tool to give people a chance to improve their lives and communities.

Kim Strathearn | Maya , Turkey

Boise State University, Anthropology and Social Science; School for International Training, MA in Intercultural Administration

Turkey

Kimberly Strathearn was born and raised in Simi Valley, CA. She credits her mother for igniting her love of travel and other cultures at a young age through family adventures abroad. She has been living and working for the past 13 years in Turkey. She spent those years working in the tourism and education sectors. Prior to moving to Turkey, she worked in the non-profit fields of refugee resettlement for 10 years and food banking for one year. She has been interested in Microfinance ever since reading The Price of a Dream: The Story of the Grameen Bank. It is through her Kiva Fellowship that, she aims to develop her skills and knowledge of the microfinance field in order to leverage her experience into a new career. She is eager to apply what she learns from her experience as a Kiva Fellow in order to analyze some of her own ideas regarding microfinance related to tourism, refugee micro loans, and youth entrepreneurial activities. She is thrilled to be working with MAYA as it becomes Kiva’s first MFI partner in Turkey.

Emmanuel von Arx | Fundacion Realidad A.C (FRAC), a partner of World Vision International , Mexico

School of International and Public Affairs, Columbia University, MIA; Hochschule St. Gallen, M.A. in Finance; Recanati School, Tel Aviv University, Exchange Semester; New York University, Certificate in Grantmaking (in progress)

Mexico

Emmanuel spent most of his first 24 years in Switzerland, leaving the country with a B.A. in Business Administration and Economics, a M.A. in Finance and Capital Markets, and a Green card won at the United States lottery. After volunteering at a soup-kitchen in Washington, D.C., he worked as a classical artist manager in New York before returning to university to obtain a Masters in International Affairs with focus on Latin America and Urban Policy. His first post-graduation work assignment brought him to a development organization in the Guatemalan highlands, followed by a year as Volunteer Program Coordinator of El Museo del Barrio, New York's leading Latino cultural institution. His first trip to Latin America changed his life: In 2007 he spent six months in Buenos Aires, learning Spanish and traveling to Brazil and Chile. For him, this has opened the door to the magical world of Latin America, leading to trips and work in Mexico, Guatemala, Colombia, Ecuador, and Honduras. Emmanuel believes that dreams can be realized with great conviction, hard work, and often very little money – microfinance is an instrument that allows both borrowers and lenders to realize their dreams. Emmanuel cannot wait to learn and share the life stories and dreams of borrowers in Guayaquil (Ecuador). He speaks Swiss German, German, French, English, Spanish - and has pledged to learn Catalan before losing all his hair.

Abhinab Basnyat

Carleton College - Economics & Cross-Cultural Studies

Nepal

My early childhood experience of traversing between cultures and continents sparked an unrelenting curiosity in economic development. It was the knowledge that technological solutions existed, yet somehow the capability needed to bring them to fruition did not that has guided my academic and professional interests. I finished my undergraduate education at Carleton College in Economics and Cross-Cultural Studies. After college, I moved to Washington DC where I have been working in the consulting industry for the past five years. My consulting experience has been primarily focused in the energy and telecommunication sectors. The Kiva Fellowship gives me a unique opportunity to merge my interest in in finance and development with my longstanding goal to have an impact on Nepal development. I am excited to apply my skill‐set, but also unlearn, learn, and refine my consulting experience by dedicating myself to a new set of problems that can have a tangible and positive impact on people's lives through micro-finance lending.

David Suk | CAURIE Microfinance, a partner of Catholic Relief Services , Senegal

B.A., McGill University; M.P.P., University of Toronto

Senegal

David vividly remembers his first trip to Africa. When he was 13-years-old, he spent three weeks visiting urban slums and rural villages in Nigeria with his father, a journalist. The severe poverty that he encountered during this trip -- as well as later trips to Haiti, Zimbabwe, and the Philippines -- left a lasting impression on David, and sparked his interest in international development. While he was a student at McGill University, David developed a workshop to teach high school students about the social impact of the HIV/AIDS crisis in poor African countries, and brought it to dozens of Montreal-area schools. He also played a key role in advocacy campaigns directed at improving access to essential medicines in developing countries. David was born in Grand Rapids, MI, and raised on both sides of the US-Canadian border. He holds a B.A. in economics and international development studies from McGill University, and a Master's of Public Policy from the University of Toronto. He joins Kiva from the Provincial Government of Ontario, Canada, where he was a political communications advisor to the Minister of Infrastructure.

Isabel Balderrama | FODEMI, a partner of World Vision International , Ecuador

George Mason University - BA Global Affairs

Ecuador

Isabel was born in La Paz, Bolivia but moved to the US when she was 11 years old. After graduating from high school she signed up for the Marine Corps and spend the entirety of her enlistment working overseas. She has lived in Japan, Belgium, Kenya, and Guatemala and has worked in logistics and as a US embassy guard. After leaving the Corps Isabel decided to stay in the DC area and finish working on her bachelor's degree. She decided to study Global Affairs since she hoped to get into the international development field and continue to discover the world. After a successful completion of her undergraduate degree Isabel now finds herself looking forward to a complete career change and to all the amazing changes the future will bring.

Alex Connelly

B.A., Economics, Columbia University

Colombia

Bogota, Colombia Raised in Louisville, Kentucky, Alex graduated from Columbia University in 2009 with a B.A. in Economics and a minor in Latin American Studies. He has spent the last two and a half years working for a series of startups in China, Colombia, and the United States, fueling both his interest in international economic integration and his sense of wanderlust. He has been interested in microfinance since reading Muhammad Yunus while backpacking through Guatemala, and is looking forward to working with his host MFI and entrepreneurs in Colombia. Alex plans for a fast turn-around following his Fellowship, as he will be starting law school this coming fall. Once there, he intends to use his Kiva experience as a base from which to explore the intersections of law and international economic development.

Heather Sullivan | VisionFund Indonesia , Indonesia

A.B. Harvard College, J.D. The University of Chicago

Indonesia

Originally hailing from the Boston area, Heather attended law school at the University of Chicago, and then spent some nomadic years clerking for a federal judge in West Virginia, practicing law in San Francisco, and teaching in New Orleans (where she acquired a taste for spicy food). A trip to Burma and Thailand in 2002 sparked her passion for travel (preferably by foot or bike): most recently, she spent the spring of 2011 cycling from Ethiopia to South Africa. Travel has in turn ignited a desire to understand the challenges of global health and international development, and to explore the role of microfinance in alleviating poverty. Heather is thrilled to be heading to Indonesia to work with two of Kiva's partners, VisionFund International and TLM.

Adria Orr | South Pacific Business Development (SPBD) , Samoa

B.A. Development Studies, Brown University

Samoa

Adria received her B.A. from Brown University, where her coursework focused on understanding basic international development issues, and dedicated her last year primarily to a thesis entitled "Contested Ground: How playing rugby in Uganda can impact women in their traditional gender performance and perceptions of their bodies." After graduating, she worked at GlobalGiving in Washington, DC, gaining insight and experience in online and social media based fundraising as well as corporate social responsibility programs. In order to pursue her love of the sport for social change movement and spend time providing direct services, she completed an Americorps Coach Across America year of service with Urban Dove in New York City. Adria is extremely excited to be a part of the Kiva Fellows program and learn all there is to know about microfinance in Samoa!

Philip Issa | Ryada, a partner of CHF International , Palestine

B.A. Economics, Swarthmore College

Palestine

Philip's interest in microfinance as a tool for development, poverty alleviation, and women empowerment can be traced to childhood visits to his extended family in the Middle East. He finally decided to take the leap into the development sector after working for two years as an Research Assistant at the Urban Institute in D.C. He looks forward to being a small part of a larger movement to alleviate poverty and spur development through his Kiva Fellowship in Palestine.

David Gorgani

Dominican Republic

David was driven to join the Kiva Fellows team by his enthusiasm for microfinance, his affinity for learning about new cultures and his desire to take this motivation to the ground to help the world’s best and brightest lift themselves out of poverty. After graduating from UCLA with a B.A. in International Economics and Political Science, David spent two years working at the Inter-American Development Bank, financing development projects with trust funds donated by governments, foundations, companies and the Bank itself. Watching the economies of the developing world expand from his office, David gained the desire to take his service to the communities themselves and do his part to ensure that this expansion apply to the greatest number possible. If the grad school acceptance gods are kind, David will begin a dual MBA-MPP/MIA (Masters in Public Policy/International Affairs) program in the fall of 2012.

Santiago Cortes | Prisma Honduras, S.A. , Honduras

Business Administration - CESA Business School and Masters in Strategic Management at UFV, Madrid

Honduras

Santiago was born in Bogota, Colombia. After graduating from an American High School in Bogota, he went to the University of Sheffield in the United Kingdom to begin a Business Studies program. The next year he went back to Bogota to attend CESA Business School. After finishing the program he went to Madrid to pursue a Master in Strategic Management. All of these changes and trips defined Santiago´s passion for economic development and international organizations. After working as an Investment Projects Analyst for more than a year in Colombia he faces his new challenge, Kiva´s Fellowship!

Micaela Browning | Hluvuku-Adsema , Mozambique

Masters Candidate, Tulane University

Mozambique

Micaela Browning was born in the quaint hamlet of Hanover, NH. When she tired of small-town life, she moved to Baltimore and obtained degree in Latin American Studies from Johns Hopkins University. Afterward, she moved to Chile to intern with Amnesty International for a year, before hopping across the continent to Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, where she worked with various NGOs for two years. After a year working for a public health startup in New York City, Micaela decided to pursue a Masters in International Development from Tulane University in New Orleans. Micaela loves language and speaks Portuguese, French, and Spanish (and English on good days). She enjoys making bad jokes in Portuguese, Cajun cooking, and avoiding New England winters.

Natalie Sherman

Cameroon

Monterey Institute of International Studies (MPA), Georgia State University (BA) Originally from Atlanta, Georgia, Natalie currently resides in beautiful Monterey, California where she recently graduated with a Masters of Public Administration degree from the Monterey Institute of International Studies. Natalie has been passionate about cultural awareness and exchange since a young age and has had the pleasure of traveling to Honduras, Nicaragua and Peru in the past year. In addition, Natalie has a strong curiosity for market-based poverty alleviation strategies and has thus focused her international development studies on social entrepreneurship and enterprise. Her most recent graduate work includes developing a community savings group for artisans in the rural Andean community of Choqueconcha, Peru. She speaks French fluently and couldn’t possibly be more excited to live and work for the first time in Francophone Africa while serving Kiva’s mission and seeing in person the impacts of microfinance.

Casey Cline | Friendship Bridge , Guatemala

Middlebury College, International Politics and Economics

Guatemala

After many years of working in finance in New York, Casey is excited to pursue his passion for global development and social entrepreneurship through his Kiva fellowship. Casey has lived and worked in various Latin American countries over the years and has been seeking to positively impact economic development in the region. He became an online lender through Kiva several years ago. Taking his interest in advancement at the grass roots level a step further, Casey looks forward to being on the ground, assisting Kiva's MFI field partners as they work with local entrepreneurs. Outside of work, Casey has spent his time traveling, particularly in Latin American countries, and volunteering to teach English to second language learners in New York.

Mariela Cedeno | CIDRE , Bolivia

Vanderbilt University - M.A. Latin American Studies, Development --- University of California, Davis - B.A. International Relations with Honors, B.A. Economics with Honors

Bolivia

Mariela was born in Venezuela, grew up in California, has family in El Salvador, and has traveled, studied, and volunteered around the world. Driven by all that she has experience in between, she hopes to serve as a catalyst to help change pervasive global inequalities that force people to endure lives of abject poverty. Mariela attended the University of California, Davis where she acquired a B.A. in Economics with honors, and a B.A. in International Relations with honors. She later went on to pursue a Master's Degree in Latin American Studies with an emphasis in Development at Vanderbilt University. While at Vanderbilt she spent a summer in Brazil studying race, development, and social inequality in partnership with the University of Sao Paolo and the Federal University of Bahia. Mariela sees becoming a Kiva Fellow as the next crucial step in her continued commitment to sustainable development by supporting the entrepreneurial spirit of the people living in developing communities.

Kathrin Gerner | Amasezerano Community Banking S.A. , Rwanda

Louisiana State University, International Trade Finance

Rwanda

Kathrin first became an online lender in 2008 after watching a news report about Kiva. As a fellow in Lome, Togo, she is eager to take her passion for international development through genuine partnership to the next level. Kathrin holds a B.S. in International Trade & Finance and has a background in enterprise risk management, having worked at Deloitte as a senior consultant. Born and raised in Germany, Kathrin has been interested in other cultures ever since she came to study in the US in 2000. This interest finally led her to leave the corporate world in 2009 to spend a year exploring several countries in East Asia and North Africa. Having recently lived and worked in France, Kathrin speaks French and hopes to enrich her vocabulary with local Togolese expressions as well as pick up some basic phrases in Eve.

Tejal Desai | BRAC Sierra Leone Microfinance Company Limited , Sierra Leone

University of California, Davis, Economics and Communication

Sierra Leone

Tejal’s desire to become a Kiva Fellow stems from her experience visiting India frequently during her childhood, and witnessing extreme poverty firsthand. She is excited to apply her passion and background in economic development to the Kiva Fellows Program, and first learned about microfinance while studying Economics in college. Following graduation, Tejal volunteered with SEWA (Self-Employed Women’s Association) in Ahmedabad, Gujarat to pursue her interest in microfinance and the application of sustainable economic tools to alleviate poverty. Thereafter, she worked in fundraising at EARN, a San Francisco-based microsavings non-profit, to further her passion of helping families create prosperity for themselves through matched savings, economic empowerment, and financial education. Tejal is an avid traveler and foodie, and is honored to serve the people of Sierra Leone and gain firsthand experience in the field.

Allison Moomey | Micro Start/AFD , Burkina Faso

Pepperdine University, International Business

Burkina Faso

Allison graduated with a BS in International Business from Pepperdine University, during which time she studied in Paris, France and Chiang Mai, Thailand. She has since returned to Thailand on multiple occasions to support an NGO that works to support those affected by the conflict in Burma. After graduating she spent a couple years teaching business and then chemistry at a low-income high school in Colorado. She studied business with the intention of working in economic development and has enjoyed the opportunity to use her degree in Burkina Faso and now Bénin. After learning about microfinance firsthand as a Kiva Fellow, she will be attending Yale School of Management. After earning her MBA, she hopes to jump back into the world of sustainable economic development.

Lauren Barra | Tujijenge Tanzania Ltd , Tanzania

NYU, Finance and International Business

Kenya/Tanzania

After graduating from New York University with a degree in Finance and International Business, Lauren spent a summer backpacking across South America. Inspired by the resilient and entrepreneurial young women she met there, Lauren began volunteering with Microfinance Transparency, an innovative organization devoted to promoting fair pricing and protecting the welfare of micro-entrepreneurs. For the past two years Lauren has worked as a management consultant with Huron Consulting Group in New York City. Her responsibilities involved translating industry research and financial analysis into strategic operational improvements for large healthcare systems. She’s excited to apply these skills in assisting Kiva’s Field Partners in Kenya and Tanzania. During her fellowship, Lauren is especially interested in researching how public health programs impact the effectiveness of microfinance and ways to integrate health services into the borrowing process. She is thrilled to travel to Africa for the first time and work with the wonderful people of Yehu and Tujijenge!

Rebecca Corey | ASI Federal Credit Union , United States

B.A., Anthropology, English, University of Georgia

USA

Rebecca Elizabeth Yeong Ae Corey was born in Daegu, South Korea, and raised in Athens, Georgia. An adoptee herself, she traveled to Peru at age five to help her parents adopt her little sister. Witnessing extreme poverty and need at such an early age left a permanent mark and inspired her to search for solutions to poverty throughout her life. While pursuing a joint degree in Anthropology and English at the University of Georgia, Rebecca devoted much of her time to volunteering in the local community and abroad. Her past travels include journeys to Peru, Australia, New Zealand, Italy, Switzerland, Tanzania, Zambia, Ecuador, The Galapagos Islands, Hungary, Romania, Austria, France and South Korea. While working as a volunteer in Tanzania in 2007, Rebecca co-founded the non-profit VolunteerAlliance, an organization that promotes volunteerism, cultural exchange, and sustainable development. While in Tanzania, Rebecca will be a graduate student at the Institute of Development Studies of the University of Dar es Salaam in addition to her work as a Kiva Fellow. If you find her in her natural habitat, she will probably be writing, practicing Swahili, playing guitar, watching soccer, or experimenting with her Canon Rebel T1i.

Sandra Pina | Prisma Honduras, S.A. , Honduras

Tufts University, Economics and Spanish Literature

Honduras

Sandra graduated from Tufts University with a B.A. in Spanish and Economics in 2008. Born and raised in Massachusetts, her passion for international travel began in her youth during family trips to Portugal and Cape Verde. Her enthusiasm intensified during a service trip to Veracruz, Mexico and later while studying abroad in Madrid. After a stint in the private sector working in asset management, Sandra escaped to southern Chile as a UNDP volunteer with Inglés Abre Puertas. Upon returning to the U.S., she worked with a leading microenterprise training organization in the San Francisco Bay Area. Sandra first joined the Kiva community as a lender and is thrilled to be heading to Honduras. She hopes this marks the start of a fruitful career in microfinance. Along with Spanish, Sandra is fluent in Cape Verdean Creole.

Marcus Berkowitz | Cooperativa San Jose , Ecuador

Ecuador

I grew up in Evanston, Illinois. After studying Political Economy and Latin American studies at Pitzer College, I worked managing a bike shop for a couple of years before starting as a fellow with Kiva!

Eric Rindal | Emprender , Bolivia

Westmont College, Business and Spanish

Bolivia

Eric grew up in a small farming community north of Seattle and relocated to Santa Barbara for his undergraduate education. He combines his academic background in economic development and cross-cultural studies with an interest in implementing sustainable business skills within developing nations. After completing a course in social entrepreneurship at the University of San Francisco in Quito, Ecuador, he moved to the Amazon region of Ecuador to teach English and entrepreneurship classes at Yachana Technical High School. Eric connected his passion for serving and loving people while he worked with the non-profit organization Direct Relief International, where he saw the global impact of medical supply distribution. He hopes to utilize his creativity as an artist and writer in Sierra Leone during his Fellowship.

Jill Hall | Center for Community Transformation Credit Cooperative (CCT) , Philippines

University of Wisconsin-Madison B.S. Therapeutic Science

Philippines

Jill originates from Wisconsin, but has lived in Los Angeles the past eight years. Jill’s passion for international development began at the age of 18 when she took her first volunteer trip to the Dominican Republic. As an occupational therapist, Jill has channeled her passions and interests in the mental health field by working with at-risk teens. Her training and skill set have allowed her to transfer her knowledge and apply it to psycho-social care training for international relief and development organizations. Jill has had experience with Partners for Relief and Development and the International Development and Relief Board. Her flexible schedule (and bosses) has allowed her to live in Morocco and travel/volunteer in Spain, Zambia, Cambodia, Vietnam, Thailand and Burma. It is through these experiences that Jill was led to be a Kiva donor and now, participate in the Kiva Fellows Program. While living in the Philippines and working with CCT, Jill is excited to continue to hone her skills in microfinance and development. Jill speaks conversational Spanish and is hoping this will help her learn Spanish-influenced Tagalog.

Dave Weber | KREDIT Ltd. , Cambodia

Arizona State University (PhD), Xavier University (MBA), Taylor University (BA)

Cambodia

David is a 4th year PhD candidate in Information Systems at the W. P. Carey School of Business at Arizona State University. His dissertation topic is on the impact of information and communication technologies on the microfinance industry and he plans to incorporate the experiences of his Kiva Fellowship in his doctoral research. He is a self-declared nomad, having lived in 11 states and 3 countries. He is excited to add Cambodia to that list and eager to build many fond memories of riding a motorbike through pouring monsoon rains to promote Kiva's mission. Following his undergraduate studies, he worked in program management and corporate finance for an engineering firm before growing weary of corporate office life. He and his wife worked at Woodstock School in the Himalayan foothills of India and have volunteered with organizations in Southeast Asia aimed at assisting the victims of sex trafficking and sex tourism. David's goal is to be a business professor at an English-medium university in Southeast Asia upon defending his dissertation. When he is not reading, writing, and researching, David enjoys playing basketball and tennis, music, traveling, wreaking havoc on his Harley, and rooting for the pathetic Cincinnati Bengals.

Julie Kerr | FUDECOSUR , Costa Rica

Costa Rica

Originally from the San Francisco Bay Area, Julie studied Political Science, concentrating in International Relations at UCLA. Unsatisfied with the limitations of books, Julie travels frequently to quench her thirst for world exploration and discovery. A long career in financial services has enabled Julie to help small businesses, entrepreneurs and individuals succeed financially, by supporting financial education, responsible lending and affordable credit offers. While at Deloitte, Julie managed projects and events, which connected emerging high-tech companies with the tools and contacts needed to acquire mission-critical venture capital. During her tenure at Wells Fargo, Julie used her online and email marketing expertise to support holistic financing and credit-building solutions - for small businesses, and low to mid-income individuals. Eager to help extend financial aid to developing communities in much greater need, Julie became a Kiva lender and advocate. As a Kiva Fellow, Julie is honored to help communities realize greater economic and human potential, by working to support and extend the pool of Kiva lending resources and recipients. Julie fell in love with the beauty and warm culture of Costa Rica back in 2005, and is very excited to return and serve in the southern region. !PURA VIDA!

Claire Markham | SMEP Deposit Taking Microfinance Limited , Kenya

Wilfrid Laurier University (BBA)

Kenya

Claire studied at Wilfrid Laurier University where she obtained a Bachelor of Business Administration with a major in finance and minor in math. She has spent the past two and a half years working in a consulting role for public sector clients where she analyzed policy and financing considerations for infrastructure projects. She learned about the Kiva Fellowship program a year ago and she was inspired by the idea of applying her financial background to help impact economic development in developing countries. Claire has traveled throughout Africa, South America, Central America, Middle East and Europe and she is very excited to call Kenya home over the upcoming months.

Laurie Young | VisionFund Indonesia , Indonesia

Lehigh Universtiy, Acccounting and Asian Studies

Indonesia

Laurie joins Kiva while on sabbatical from her accounting position with PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) in Seattle. During her time with PwC, she has worked primarily with Financial Services clients while obtaining her CPA License. Prior to living in Seattle, Laurie grew up in Maine and earned undergraduate degrees in Accounting and Asian Studies at Lehigh University in Pennsylvania. While at Lehigh, she participated in a summer program in Shanghai, China which jump started her passion for Asian culture. Post graduation, she returned to China to spend a year teaching oral English at a high school and was able to travel around China and South East Asia. From these travels, Laurie became interested in developing countries and ways, such as microfinance, to help alleviate poverty within them. She decided to take a sabbatical in order to spend time volunteering and is honored to be working as a Kiva Fellow. Laurie is excited to apply her financial services knowledge to work towards poverty alleviation in Indonesia and to continue her education about social and economic policies of developing countries and the role of microfinance.

Daniel Jung | HOFOKAM Ltd., a partner of Catholic Relief Services , Uganda

University of Washington, International Studies

Uganda

Daniel will be living in Richards Bay, South Africa. There, he will work with the Women’s Development Corporation to help build a strong relationship with Kiva that will hopefully continue to grow over the coming years. Prior to joining the Kiva Fellows Program, Daniel worked briefly in market research in green technologies, smart grids, and electric vehicles. Before that, he worked at a carbon finance start-up, serving both on the trading desk and as a financial analyst examining carbon-offset projects. He also worked at development consulting firm that focused on solving natural resources challenges in the developing world. An avid traveler, Daniel is excited for the coming opportunities ahead.

Andrew Huelsenbeck | BRAC Uganda , Uganda

B.A. in Philosophy, Princeton University

Uganda

Andrew's interest in microfinance and development was first piqued in 2007, when he served as one of the first interns for the New York chapter of a start-up microfinance organization called Wokai. After graduating in 2009, he worked as a civil legal assistant while also taking political economics classes at NYU and coordinating community-building projects for New York Cares. Andrew hopes that his Kiva Fellowship at BRAC Uganda will enable him to learn more about efficient NGO operations, microfinance, and the intersection of technology and development.

Henry Bartram | MicroKing Savings and Credit Company (MKF) , Zimbabwe

City of London Polytechnic, MBA; Oxford University, History

Zimbabwe

Henry Bartram worked in corporate finance until 2002. This primarily involved private equity transactions (i.e. arranging financing for acquisition of businesses by their managers). In 2003, he spent 9 months in Tanzania as volunteer with a small MFI in Arusha. Henry subsequently worked with the Red Cross in Indonesia after the 2004 Tsunami and in Kenya with Merlin - a UK based medical charity, as well as a number of others (e.g. Save the Children, Oxfam), mainly in finance capacities. He took his first degree at Oxford University and has an MBA and accountancy qualification.

Chris Paci | Aqroinvest Credit Union , Azerbaijan

Williams College, History

Azerbaijan

Chris has a long-standing fascination with the cultures of Eastern Europe and the post-Soviet world. Having studied Russian history and culture in St. Petersburg and traveled extensively throughout the CIS, he is excited to now be serving as a roaming Kiva Fellow in the Caucasus and Central Asia, two corners of the region he has not yet explored. For the past several years, he has worked at an MBA admissions consulting firm, a position that brought him into contact with professionals from all corners of the private sector. Working one-on-one with microfinance professionals and other social entrepreneurs rekindled his interest in Kiva and inspired him to pursue a career in international development. After his Kiva Fellowship, he hopes to enroll in a master's program in that field.

DJ Forza | LLC Micro Finance Organization Credo , Georgia

University of Washington, MBA

Georgia

After years of fitting in volunteer work and service trips during vacation time from her corporate job, DJ has made the leap to make humanitarian work her full-time career through joining the Kiva Fellows program and by pursuing a doctorate degree in diplomacy and international relations. Originally from Seattle, DJ's passion for adventure travel as well volunteering as a Habitat for Humanity Global Village team leader and joining disaster relief work teams in Haiti and Japan have taken her to some 60 countries and all seven continents. DJ is honored to serve as a Kiva Fellow in Tbilisi, Georgia and is looking forward to learning about the culture while working to further Kiva's misson to connect people through lending to alleviate poverty.

Kate Bennett | Caja Rural Señor de Luren , Peru

NYU, Political Economy, Postcolonial History and Development

Peru

Kate grew up outside of Trenton, New Jersey but has been drawn to life and work in Latin America for her entire life. Through her degree in Political Economy, Postcolonial History, and Development from New York University’s Gallatin School of Individualized Study and as writer and co-editor of La Vida Idealist.org (http://lavidaidealist.org), Kate has only only fueled her fascination with life, politics, and culture beyond U.S. borders. Through stints at varying nonprofit organizations, Kate studied issues within nonprofit management and best practices in development; however, she sought a practice-based understanding of effective tools in development. After a year WWOOF’ing and researching nonprofit effectiveness in South America, she thought it was time to make her love for development work in the region official through a Kiva Fellowship. She just finished her first fellowship with Fundación Alternativa in Quito, Ecuador and is thrilled to be serving as a Kiva Fellow for Caja Rural Señor de Luren in Peru.

Whitney Webb | Urwego Opportunity Bank of Rwanda (UOB), a partner of World Relief, HOPE International, and Opportunity International , Rwanda

University of Florida, BA in Business Administration

Rwanda

Whitney was first on an airplane at 5 days old and has been traveling ever since. Besides the many mission trips to the Caribbean and Latin America, she traveled independently throughout Europe, the Middle East, and the Americas. After graduating from University of Florida, she moved to New York City to work at a hedge fund, performing financial research for the CEO and founding partner. During her three years there, she also volunteered at the International Center where she taught English and helped foreigners become better acclimated to life in the USA. Inspired by the people she taught, Whitney left her job and began a year of travel which included volunteer work in Laos, Vietnam, and Cambodia. She spent two months working at an NGO in Siem Reap where she taught English at an orphanage and secured the first large grant for the organization. After seeing firsthand the struggles of so many around the world, Whitney is excited to learn about microfinance as a tool to give people a chance to improve their lives and communities.

Kim Strathearn | Maya , Turkey

Boise State University, Anthropology and Social Science; School for International Training, MA in Intercultural Administration

Turkey

Kimberly Strathearn was born and raised in Simi Valley, CA. She credits her mother for igniting her love of travel and other cultures at a young age through family adventures abroad. She has been living and working for the past 13 years in Turkey. She spent those years working in the tourism and education sectors. Prior to moving to Turkey, she worked in the non-profit fields of refugee resettlement for 10 years and food banking for one year. She has been interested in Microfinance ever since reading The Price of a Dream: The Story of the Grameen Bank. It is through her Kiva Fellowship that, she aims to develop her skills and knowledge of the microfinance field in order to leverage her experience into a new career. She is eager to apply what she learns from her experience as a Kiva Fellow in order to analyze some of her own ideas regarding microfinance related to tourism, refugee micro loans, and youth entrepreneurial activities. She is thrilled to be working with MAYA as it becomes Kiva’s first MFI partner in Turkey.

Jim Burke | AFODENIC , Nicaragua

UCLA International Development Studies

Nicaragua

Jim graduated from UCLA where he studied International Development and Urban and Regional Planning. Since graduating in 2009 Jim has spent time working with various NGOs in Latin America. He is especially interested in Micro-enterprise development and this encouraged him to join Kiva as a fellow. Jim's passion for international development began in high school after participating as a volunteer working on community development in Nicaragua. Jim looks forward to returning to Nicaragua as a Kiva Fellow!

Alba Castillo | Fundación Paraguaya , Paraguay

University of Bridgeport, Global Development and Peace MA; Rosemont College, Political Science BA

Paraguay

For over 7 years, Alba worked for various banks in the mortgage industry. With the goal of making a drastic career change to a field more in line with her interests, Alba enrolled in graduate school and has since worked for the U.S. Department of Commerce during the 2010 Census, and more recently for the Yale School of Medicine as a Research Associate. She will complete her Master's Degree in Global Development and Peace in May of 2012. Traveling is one of Alba’s greatest hobbies. Her travels have taken her to Venezuela, Dominican Republic, Belize, Cuba, Northern Ireland, Switzerland, and a number of times to Ecuador (her native country). Alba's passion lies in human development and the empowerment of women in developing countries as a means to poverty reduction. She is excited about the Kiva Fellowship and is looking forward to the experiences and knowledge it will bring.

Emmanuel von Arx | Banco D-MIRO S.A. , Ecuador

School of International and Public Affairs, Columbia University, MIA; Hochschule St. Gallen, M.A. in Finance; Recanati School, Tel Aviv University, Exchange Semester; New York University, Certificate in Grantmaking (in progress)

Ecuador

Emmanuel spent most of his first 24 years in Switzerland, leaving the country with a B.A. in Business Administration and Economics, a M.A. in Finance and Capital Markets, and a Green card won at the United States lottery. After volunteering at a soup-kitchen in Washington, D.C., he worked as a classical artist manager in New York before returning to university to obtain a Masters in International Affairs with focus on Latin America and Urban Policy. His first post-graduation work assignment brought him to a development organization in the Guatemalan highlands, followed by a year as Volunteer Program Coordinator of El Museo del Barrio, New York's leading Latino cultural institution. His first trip to Latin America changed his life: In 2007 he spent six months in Buenos Aires, learning Spanish and traveling to Brazil and Chile. For him, this has opened the door to the magical world of Latin America, leading to trips and work in Mexico, Guatemala, Colombia, Ecuador, and Honduras. Emmanuel believes that dreams can be realized with great conviction, hard work, and often very little money – microfinance is an instrument that allows both borrowers and lenders to realize their dreams. Emmanuel cannot wait to learn and share the life stories and dreams of borrowers in Guayaquil (Ecuador). He speaks Swiss German, German, French, English, Spanish - and has pledged to learn Catalan before losing all his hair.

Andrea Ramirez | Fundacion Campo , El Salvador

Binghamton University, Financial Economics

San Salvador

Originally from Barranquilla, Colombia, Andrea moved to the US ten years ago. After college, she joined the New York transfer pricing practice at PwC, where she provided consulting services to multi-national corporations across a multitude of industries. Andrea also worked as part of the global markets team for the Advisory business during her last year at PwC. She recently joined Women's World Banking, a global network of microfinance institutions in New York, as an intern with their Strategy and Business Development team assisting in the development of WWB's greenfield strategy for Mexico. Andrea is looking forward to learning as much as possible about microfinance and international development through her Fellowship with Kiva, and applying that knowledge after completing her MBA.

Abhinab Basnyat

Carleton College - Economics & Cross-Cultural Studies

Nepal

My early childhood experience of traversing between cultures and continents sparked an unrelenting curiosity in economic development. It was the knowledge that technological solutions existed, yet somehow the capability needed to bring them to fruition did not that has guided my academic and professional interests. I finished my undergraduate education at Carleton College in Economics and Cross-Cultural Studies. After college, I moved to Washington DC where I have been working in the consulting industry for the past five years. My consulting experience has been primarily focused in the energy and telecommunication sectors. The Kiva Fellowship gives me a unique opportunity to merge my interest in in finance and development with my longstanding goal to have an impact on Nepal development. I am excited to apply my skill‐set, but also unlearn, learn, and refine my consulting experience by dedicating myself to a new set of problems that can have a tangible and positive impact on people's lives through micro-finance lending.

Rob Gradoville | Asociación Arariwa , Peru

Peru

Since 2005, Rob has been thinking about the best way to provide the basic services that rural folks in the developing world want and need most: clean water and electricity. During his undergraduate days he designed a water pumping system for a coffee cooperative in Nicaragua, and was hooked by every aspect of the work. He later worked with the Peace Corps in the Dominican Republic, bringing water, improved sanitation, and electricity to a mountain village over the course of his stay. Returning to graduate school he focused on environmental sustainability of service provision, and managed an Engineers Without Borders water pumping and distribution project for a village in Ecuador. In Peru, apart from his work with Asociacion Arariwa, Rob will be partnered with Practical Action, a UK-based non-profit, to analyze their rural hydro-electric projects as a Fulbright Fellow. He hopes that his time as a Kiva Fellow will provide him with an insider perspective on another valuable approach to help the poor get what they truly need, and it has little to do with engineering: access to credit.

Charlotte Makoff | ASI Federal Credit Union , United States

UCLA, BA History ('82), UC Hastings, JD ('87)

USA

Charlotte was born and raised in Southern California. She received her Bachelor's degree from UCLA and a law degree from UC Hastings. She was a civil litigator in a large law firm and also started her own litigation boutique where she practiced law for many years. She has two daughters in college. Charlotte speaks a little Japanese and French. She travels to Japan and France frequently. She spent three and half months traveling around India and Nepal, has lived in Quezon City, Philippines for five weeks and did three Habitat for Humanity builds in Bahir Dar, Ethiopia, Pondicherry, India and Ndola, Zambia. When she isn't on the road, she lives in Noe Valley with her King Charles Spaniel and is on the board of a small non-profit called "Curry Without Worry."

Casey Cline | ADEPHCA , Nicaragua

Middlebury College, International Politics and Economics

Nicaragua

After many years of working in finance in New York, Casey is excited to pursue his passion for global development and social entrepreneurship through his Kiva fellowship. Casey has lived and worked in various Latin American countries over the years and has been seeking to positively impact economic development in the region. He became an online lender through Kiva several years ago. Taking his interest in advancement at the grass roots level a step further, Casey looks forward to being on the ground, assisting Kiva's MFI field partners as they work with local entrepreneurs. Outside of work, Casey has spent his time traveling, particularly in Latin American countries, and volunteering to teach English to second language learners in New York.

Nila Uthayakumar

University of Florida, Business Administration

Kenya

Nila was born in Tamil Nadu, India and moved to the United States at the age of four. After living in Montana and California, Nila and her family settled in sunny Tampa, Florida. In college, at the University of Florida, Nila studied to earn a degree in business administration, but quickly found that what truly incited academic fervor within her was the field of African studies. When she wasn't completing African studies coursework or studying Swahili, she was working as a research assistant at the Center for African Studies, singing in the university's Africa choir, or drumming with her West African drumming class. Her university experience was also significantly shaped by involvement in student organizations. Her role as head of client relations with the Campus Kitchens Project, where she worked with a team to reduce local food waste and serve hungry families; as well as her travels to Nicaragua with another campus NGO left her with profound experiences from which to draw upon during her Kiva fellowship. Upon graduating in April 2010, she moved to the island of Zanzibar off of the coast of Tanzania as a Rotary Ambassadorial Scholar. She spent much of her time during her six and half months there working as the project coordinator on a Johns Hopkins study on family planning and abortion practices on the islands. It was there in Zanzibar that the bond was cemented, and the fever took hold. Nila speaks Tamil, Swahili, and conversational Spanish. She hopes to speak Swahili like a local in Kenya, and highly anticipates making a return to East Africa as a roaming Kiva Fellow.

Kathrin Gerner | Women and Associations for Gain both Economic and Social (WAGES) , Togo

Louisiana State University, International Trade Finance

Togo

Kathrin first became an online lender in 2008 after watching a news report about Kiva. As a fellow in Lome, Togo, she is eager to take her passion for international development through genuine partnership to the next level. Kathrin holds a B.S. in International Trade & Finance and has a background in enterprise risk management, having worked at Deloitte as a senior consultant. Born and raised in Germany, Kathrin has been interested in other cultures ever since she came to study in the US in 2000. This interest finally led her to leave the corporate world in 2009 to spend a year exploring several countries in East Asia and North Africa. Having recently lived and worked in France, Kathrin speaks French and hopes to enrich her vocabulary with local Togolese expressions as well as pick up some basic phrases in Eve.

Michele Wehle | BRAC Uganda , Uganda

The Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy, Tufts University; B.S. in Finance, Indiana University - Bloomington

Uganda

Michele is a Masters candidate at the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy where she is studying human security and development economics. Prior to attending graduate school, Michele lived in Dhaka, Bangladesh for four months where she interned at the Yunus Centre and worked on social business initiatives. Michele’s work experience also includes an internship with ACCION USA, where she worked on a strategic plan to increase domestic microfinance’s reach in the United States, and four years in the private sector where she worked at J.P. Morgan and IBM. Michele is excited to go to Africa for the first time and see how microfinance helps borrowers achieve their livelihoods. She is looking forward to meeting Kiva borrowers, traveling around the region, and immersing herself in the local culture.

Tim Young | UIMCEC, a partner of ChildFund International , Senegal

City University Business School, Property Valuation and Law; Cambridge University, History

Senegal

Tim graduated from Cambridge University and City University Business School (London), before moving to Paris to work in European real estate fund management. It was here that Tim first read about Microfinance and developed an interest in the positive role that social enterprise could play in the developing world. Tim joins Kiva having spent the last ten years working in real estate private equity and fund management in Paris and London and is excited by the opportunity of seeing microfinance in action first hand in Senegal!

Eric Rindal

Westmont College, Business and Spanish

Sierra Leone

Eric grew up in a small farming community north of Seattle and relocated to Santa Barbara for his undergraduate education. He combines his academic background in economic development and cross-cultural studies with an interest in implementing sustainable business skills within developing nations. After completing a course in social entrepreneurship at the University of San Francisco in Quito, Ecuador, he moved to the Amazon region of Ecuador to teach English and entrepreneurship classes at Yachana Technical High School. Eric connected his passion for serving and loving people while he worked with the non-profit organization Direct Relief International, where he saw the global impact of medical supply distribution. He hopes to utilize his creativity as an artist and writer in Sierra Leone during his Fellowship.

John Farmer | Apoyo Integral , El Salvador

Truman State University, MA Math; University of Missouri, BA Math

El Salvador

John has an MA in math from Truman State University. He became interested in computer programming after teaching math for several years, and now designs database applications. Recently, he's spent almost as much time in Guatemala as in the US, taking part in a variety of volunteer projects and coaching the municipal soccer team of Santiago Atitlán. When not coaching or working, he's usually playing soccer. A big fan of social entrepreneurship, microfinance and crowdsourcing, John is confident his fellowship with Kiva will be very rewarding.

Raveen Kulenthran | MicroKing Savings and Credit Company (MKF) , Zimbabwe

University of Nottingham, Chemical Engineering

Zimbabwe

Raveen grew up in Kuala Lumpur and moved to the United Kingdom in 2001 to complete his undergraduate studies. Since graduating he has worked at an International Energy Consultancy IHS CERA. His main responsibilities were Oil and Gas field development planning and Power Plant cost modeling. Raveen takes pleasure in cooking and practices Ashtanga Yoga passionately. He also enjoys travelling and believes it has helped him develop an open mind and holistic approach to life.

Sherrise Pond | CAURIE Microfinance, a partner of Catholic Relief Services , Senegal

Yale University, Political Science

Senegal

Sherrise began living abroad and interacting with other cultures at the age of 15, when she was afforded the opportunity to study in Zaragoza, Spain. She continued her studies at Yale University, graduating in 2006 with a B.A. in Political Science, focusing on Latin America and Africa. She also spent a semester studying French in Paris, France. Upon graduating, she joined Citigroup’s Municipal Securities Department where she worked in the Non-Profit Healthcare Group. She executed bond transactions for U.S.-based hospitals and healthcare systems. Desiring to bridge her love of traveling with her interest in international development, she spent her vacations volunteering at an orphanage in Ghana and building a job development center in South Africa. In 2010, she decided to fully commit her time to working in the field of international development. Sherrise looks forward to experiencing a new country and culture and is excited to apply her academic knowledge of microfinance with the practical application she will gain while volunteering with Kiva.

John Gwillim | Fondo Esperanza , Chile

Michigan State University, Finance and Public Policy

Chile

Originally from Traverse City, Michigan, John graduated from Michigan State University with degrees in finance and public policy. During college and immediately following, he ran his own photography business specializing in sports and general photojournalism, including a project on cacao production by an indigenous cooperative in Ecuador that appeared in the New York Times. He worked as a technology and trading consultant for a financial services company in Boston, before accepting a position as the operations and sales manager of an internet start-up for the past year. John's passion for international travel began during a study abroad program in college; he has since traveled and volunteered in 26 countries, including Colombia where he is excited to return. John is looking forward to the learning as much as possible about microfinance and international development through on the ground experience with Kiva, which he plans to use while pursuing a career in non-profit strategy/management after completing his MBA.

Amy-Kyleen Lute | National Microfinance Bank , Jordan

Boston College, Economics

Jordan

Amy-Kyleen has long had a passion for exploring developing countries and building relationships with the people she encounters on her adventures. While attending Boston College to attain her undergraduate degree in Economics, Middle Eastern Studies and Theology, she considered the intersection of culture and religion as it impacts economic development. During this time, Amy-Kyleen spent seven months in the Middle East participating in a regional studies and intensive Arabic program in Amman, Jordan and, subsequently, working for a Palestinian non-governmental organization which promotes active nonviolence and democracy in Palestinian communities. Given her love for the region and people, the opportunity to return to be a Kiva Fellow in Jordan is very exciting! She is looking forward to working for a sustainable, local and impactful method of international development.

Heba Gamal | Al Majmoua Lebanese Association for Development , Lebanon

UC Santa Barbara, Global and International Studies

Lebanon

Heba Gamal is the Search Quality Manager for the Middle East and North Africa at Google, Inc. In her current role, she focuses on pushing the quality of the search experience to serve the local needs of the users by coming up with locally relevant product features, policies and improvements. Prior to taking on the search quality manager role, Heba spent four months in India growing Google's online sales team in the Gurgaon office. Having grown up in Cairo Egyot, Heba's interest in international and social development seems as old as her childhood memories. Her passion and interest in the area led her to participate in the Global Philanthropy Forum in 2007 and maintain an active volunteer relationship with Ashoka in the Middle East and Bay Area. She currently serves on the board of the Foundation for Sustainable Development (www.fsdinternational.org). During her free-time, Heba keeps busy with creative projects like completing her first short-film, "The Invitation", busting rhythms on her dumbek or busy taking photographs of new places she visits. Most recently, Heba returned to Egypt to be part of the Youth Revolution of January 25, 2011.

Allie Cook | Alalay sa Kaunlaran, Inc. (ASKI) , Philippines

Wellesley College, International Relations

Philippines

Allie was born in Massachusetts. She grew up there and in London. As an expat Allie was able to travel frequently and ignite her passion for adventure. During college, she lived abroad in Paris as an intern for the State Department and she studied abroad in Morocco. Her time in Morocco focused on women's activism and political empowerment. After a brief detour in the private sector, Allie spent some time in Guatemala with CasaSito. Seeing the incredible projects this small organization pursued to educate and empower youth, renewed a passion for economic development. This lead Allie to volunteer in Kiva's headquarters office where she was inspired by embarking Kiva Fellows. She is particularly excited to see the real social impact of microfinance and Client Protection Principles in action. Allie enjoys getting lost, the ocean, yoga, reading, and going on long trail rides.

Miranda Phua | Bai Tushum & Partners , Kyrgyzstan

University of Melbourne, Accounting and Mathematics

Kyrgyzstan

Miranda's desire to become a Kiva Fellow stemmed from the prospect of being able to harness her financial knowledge to benefit those living in poverty. A banker by background, Miranda spent (too) many years providing structured debt solutions to corporations across the Asia-Pacific region. Complementing her private sector experience, Miranda was also a Finance Advisor at United Nations Development Prorgramme (UNDP) in Cambodia and completed microfinance training at Grameen Bank in Bangladesh. Miranda earned a Master of Applied Finance and Bachelor of Commerce (Accounting) / Bachelor of Science (Mathematics) degrees from the University of Melbourne. She is excited at the opportunity to learn about microfinance in Central Asia and promises to remain brave when trying local culinary delights.

Daniel Jung | Womens Development Businesses (WDB) , South Africa

University of Washington, International Studies

South Africa

Daniel will be living in Richards Bay, South Africa. There, he will work with the Women’s Development Corporation to help build a strong relationship with Kiva that will hopefully continue to grow over the coming years. Prior to joining the Kiva Fellows Program, Daniel worked briefly in market research in green technologies, smart grids, and electric vehicles. Before that, he worked at a carbon finance start-up, serving both on the trading desk and as a financial analyst examining carbon-offset projects. He also worked at development consulting firm that focused on solving natural resources challenges in the developing world. An avid traveler, Daniel is excited for the coming opportunities ahead.

Faith Garlington | Grounded and Holistic Approach for People's Empowerment (GHAPE) , Cameroon

Oklahoma State University, MBA and International Studies

Cameroon

Faith Garlington is a candidate for a Masters in Business Administration with an International Studies Certificate at Oklahoma State University. She earned her B.A. in Music and a Certificate in Early Childhood Education in 2003 from Agnes Scott College in Atlanta, GA. Faith has experience in the public education and non-profit sectors. She has served as an elementary school teacher, a community organizer for a progressive grassroots organization, a 2010 Census taker, a field organizer for a U.S. presidential campaign, and subsequently as the Administrative Director for the Tulsa League of Women Voters, local chapter of a national nonprofit. Faith has lived and traveled abroad, from Prague, Czech Republic to Barranquilla, Colombia. She is also a member of Leadership Tulsa Class 43. Faith was also elected by her Creativity Innovation Entrepreneurship (CIE) Scholar colleagues to serve as president of the 2010-2011 CIE Scholars class. Recently, Faith was one of two winners of the Paulsen Award, a $5,000 scholarship from the Oklahoma Business Roundtable. Faith is a native of Knoxville, TN and has been a violinist for over 20 years.

Carolyn Nold | Amasezerano Community Banking S.A. , Rwanda

Northwestern University, Economics

Rwanda

Carolyn caught the travel bug during her undergraduate experience, which took her to study Italian in Verona, Italy and Public Health in Cape Town, South Africa. It was in South Africa that Carolyn discovered the strong connection between development economics and public health. After spending a year working in New Zealand during which time she gained valuable skills in living independently abroad, Carolyn continues to pursue her career in international development and is currently a member of the charter class of the Johns Hopkins Global MBA, where she is combining core business skills with interdisciplinary topics such as healthcare and international relations. In January 2011 she traveled with colleagues at Hopkins to complete a consulting project in Nairobi, Kenya for the Water and Sanitation Department of the Kenya Red Cross. Carolyn is thrilled to experience life in Kigali, Rwanda where she will work with Africa Urwego Opportunity Bank of Rwanda and Vision Finance Company. Carolyn is looking forward to returning to Africa and gaining first-hand experience in microfinance and interacting with clients on the community level.

Anne Conlin

Harvard University, Social Studies and Health Policy

Indonesia

Anne is a native of Boston. After graduation from college, Anne joined a management consulting firm in Boston. After 3 years with the firm, and looking for a change, Anne moved to Jakarta, Indonesia and joined an international consulting firm focused on the health sector. In this capacity, Anne worked with multinational firms across Southeast Asia, helping them invest in the health sector. She advises her clients on evolving national health systems and shifting health sector dynamics. Two recent projects have included advising a European vaccines company for success in the Indonesian national vaccines program, and developing a financial model for growth of the Philippines hospital market. Anne initially became interested in microfinance through her work in health, as she believes there is potential for alternative forms of financing to support both supply and demand side health sector development. Anne hopes to pursue an MBA/MPH in the future. Anne is proud to call Indonesia and Southeast Asia home and is excited to get to know Cambodia and Indonesia better while learning about microfinance.

Megan Bond | FODEMI, a partner of World Vision International , Ecuador

Southern Methodist University, Masters Cultural Anthropologyy; Indiana University of Pennsylvania, Anthropology

Ecuador

Megan is currently pursuing a doctorate in cultural anthropology at Southern Methodist University, concentrating on researching human health, economic development, and globalization, with a particular focus on microfinance. In the first grade, she acquired the desire to travel the world and work to improve the lives of others while listening to a Jesuit missionary discuss his humanitarian missions to Papua New Guinea at her Pennsylvania elementary school. Fifteen years later, while a student at IUP, she made her first journey abroad on an archaeology study trip to Belize and Guatemala. This trip confirmed the goal she had since a young age and she decided to become an anthropologist to study the puzzles of overcoming humanity's struggles. Her anthropological work took her to Spain, Peru, Mexico, and Bolivia. Megan is looking forward to launching her partnership with Kiva and helping FODEMI, her host MFI in Ecuador, learn every aspect of their new partnership with Kiva. She hopes the Kiva Fellowship will mark the beginning of a long career exploring microfinance.

Jason Jones | ADIM (Asociación Alternativa Para el Desarrollo Integral de las Mujeres) , Nicaragua

Point Loma Nazarene University, Biology

Nicaragua

At the end of 2007, upon arriving at the ten year mark in a career in emergency services, Jason decided to take a one year sabbatical to do a bit of “volunteer work”. Among other things, he was interested in gaining a deeper insight with respect to the world of poverty, immersing into a new culture, and trying his hand at proficiency with a foreign language. That first year eventually stretched into a second, and the second into a third. Now in his fourth year, and having recently completed a long term volunteer project in the area of health and nutrition, he still finds himself at home in Nicaragua. Jason is anxious to continue working in the area of development and for the alleviation of poverty on an international level. Through his Kiva fellowship, he’s looking forward to learning a great deal with regards to microfinance, while hopefully making a positive contribution along the way.

Henry Bartram | BRAC Liberia Microfinance Company Limited , Liberia

City of London Polytechnic, MBA; Oxford University, History

Liberia

Henry Bartram worked in corporate finance until 2002. This primarily involved private equity transactions (i.e. arranging financing for acquisition of businesses by their managers). In 2003, he spent 9 months in Tanzania as volunteer with a small MFI in Arusha. Henry subsequently worked with the Red Cross in Indonesia after the 2004 Tsunami and in Kenya with Merlin - a UK based medical charity, as well as a number of others (e.g. Save the Children, Oxfam), mainly in finance capacities. He took his first degree at Oxford University and has an MBA and accountancy qualification.

Richard Shum

University of Waterloo, Canada, Systems Design Engineering and Economics

Kenya

Originally from Toronto, Canada, Richard graduated from the University of Waterloo with a B.A.Sc. in Systems Design Engineering and a B.A. in Economics. Following his graduation, Richard spent a few years working in the technology organization at Expedia, Inc. It was here that he had the opportunity to lead and manage the development of several game-changing initiatives within the travel industry. With a determination to do greater things, Richard continues to seek opportunities that make an impact. When a friend and former colleague joined the 14th Kiva Fellows class, Richard realized that there was no better way to spend his next few months. As a Kiva Fellow, he will have the chance to learn about microfinance in-depth, get a new perspective on life in another country, and, most importantly, have the opportunity to make an impact on the lives of others. Richard is excited to relocate to Nairobi, Kenya, where he believes he will be able to employ his skills to create positive change.

Kate Bennett | Fundacion Alternativa , Ecuador

NYU, Political Economy, Postcolonial History and Development

Ecuador

Kate grew up outside of Trenton, New Jersey but has been drawn to life and work in Latin America for her entire life. Through her degree in Political Economy, Postcolonial History, and Development from New York University’s Gallatin School of Individualized Study and as writer and co-editor of La Vida Idealist.org (http://lavidaidealist.org), Kate has only only fueled her fascination with life, politics, and culture beyond U.S. borders. Through stints at varying nonprofit organizations, Kate studied issues within nonprofit management and best practices in development; however, she sought a practice-based understanding of effective tools in development. After a year WWOOF’ing and researching nonprofit effectiveness in South America, she thought it was time to make her love for development work in the region official through a Kiva Fellowship. She just finished her first fellowship with Fundación Alternativa in Quito, Ecuador and is thrilled to be serving as a Kiva Fellow for Caja Rural Señor de Luren in Peru.

Adam Cohn | Urwego Opportunity Bank of Rwanda (UOB), a partner of World Relief, HOPE International, and Opportunity International , Rwanda

University of Washington, Business, Information Systems, Psychology

Rwanda

Adam joins Kiva after working for nearly a decade in the development of customer-facing functionality at Expedia, Inc. Aside from enjoying the creation of tools to help others travel, Adam also enjoyed making use of those tools and managed to visit over 30 countries during his tenure at Expedia. An avid photographer and occasional blogger, Adam noticed that his vacations over the years tended to consist largely of time spent in villages just chatting with shopkeepers and laborers, learning about their lives and their challenges. After all of his trips, Adam loans to businesspeople in the cities he has visited, through Kiva. When a friend and former colleague joined the 13th Kiva Fellows Class, Adam realized that this would be the perfect opportunity to help out shopkeepers and small business owners in a very direct way, while also learning more about microfinance and simultaneously satisfying his wanderlust for a while longer. Adam is excited to relocate to Kigali, Rwanda, where he will partner with Urwego Opportunity Bank of Rwanda and Vision Finance Company. Adam is looking forward to learning about the field of microfinance in-depth, as well as get an in-depth perspective on life in another country.

Klaartje Visser | IMPRO , Bolivia

International Business Administration - Erasmus University, Rotterdam

Bolivia

Clara is a graduate from the Erasmus University in the Netherlands. While studying International Business Administration, she was on exchange in Mexico and did a social internship in Costa Rica. Her first job was at the Dutch bank ABN AMRO. Now she works for the multinational KPMG, where she advises companies on sustainability issues and verifies Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) Reports from financial institutions. She married her husband Niels in November, and both Clara and Niels got permission from their employers for half a year sabbatical. Her interest for microfinance started when she read Yunus' book 'Banker to the poor'. She wants to become a Kiva expert in KF14 in order to add value to the MFI IMPRO in La Paz. She would also love to learn about Bolivian culture.

Nila Uthayakumar

University of Florida, Business Administration

Kenya

Nila was born in Tamil Nadu, India and moved to the United States at the age of four. After living in Montana and California, Nila and her family settled in sunny Tampa, Florida. In college, at the University of Florida, Nila studied to earn a degree in business administration, but quickly found that what truly incited academic fervor within her was the field of African studies. When she wasn't completing African studies coursework or studying Swahili, she was working as a research assistant at the Center for African Studies, singing in the university's Africa choir, or drumming with her West African drumming class. Her university experience was also significantly shaped by involvement in student organizations. Her role as head of client relations with the Campus Kitchens Project, where she worked with a team to reduce local food waste and serve hungry families; as well as her travels to Nicaragua with another campus NGO left her with profound experiences from which to draw upon during her Kiva fellowship. Upon graduating in April 2010, she moved to the island of Zanzibar off of the coast of Tanzania as a Rotary Ambassadorial Scholar. She spent much of her time during her six and half months there working as the project coordinator on a Johns Hopkins study on family planning and abortion practices on the islands. It was there in Zanzibar that the bond was cemented, and the fever took hold. Nila speaks Tamil, Swahili, and conversational Spanish. She hopes to speak Swahili like a local in Kenya, and highly anticipates making a return to East Africa as a roaming Kiva Fellow.

Carlos Cruz Montaño | Local Enterprise Assistance Program (LEAP), a partner of World Hope International and World Relief , Liberia / BRAC Liberia Microfinance Company Limited , Liberia

Loyola University New Orleans, MBA; Louisiana State University, BS Mechanical Engineering

Liberia

Carlos Cruz Montano grew up in Mexico City and moved to the United States in 1998 to complete his undergraduate studies. He brings a background in project work as a design and lead engineer in the Capital Projects Team with Entergy in New Orleans. He studied business part time and concentrated in International Business. During this time he developed interest in small business and social entrepreneurship and volunteered as a translator for the Louisiana Small Business Development Center. Carlos likes to travel and practices yoga; he believes every work experience is an opportunity to learn and serve others.

Charlie Wood | MCC Mol Bulak Finance LLC , Kyrgyzstan

Pitzer College, Biology and Sociology

Kyrgyz Republic

Sometime during a year off spent living in the South Pacific, Charlie realized that he did not truly want to pursue medicine. As it was, this left him with a mission to create positive change in the world but not a whole lot of direction in how he should go about it. In the four years since graduating he has spent significant amounts of time in Israel, Palestine, Turkey, Egypt, Jordan, India, Nepal, Bangladesh, and Japan. He also worked for 18 months in project management at Lend Lease Corp., a multinational construction and real estate company. Along the way he decided that public interest law would be his next step, potentially working with non-profits such as Kiva on legal procedures and implications of their work. In the meantime he is thrilled to be spending the next six months in Kyrgyzstan and is dreaming of ushankas.

Jacqueline Gunn | HOPE Ukraine/Nadiya, a partner of HOPE International , Ukraine

University of Nottingham, Philosophy

Ukraine

After graduating from the University of Nottingham with a degree in Philosophy, Jacqueline spent a year living in Cambodia working for the Global Child Programme, where her main roles were in research and teaching. She then moved to London to work for the National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children (NSPCC). During her first year at the NSPCC she worked as a Graduate Trainee across a series of directorates, including High Value Donors, Direct Donor Marketing and Digital Fundraising before settling into her role within Legacy Marketing. For the past two years she has worked on a range of projects including delivering a successful integrated tv and digital campaign. Jacqueline has had a passion for not for profits as far back as she can remember. In her student days, she sat on the Executive Board for the UK's highest grossing student charity. She has also spent time working at The British Red Cross and Cancer Research UK. Jacqueline is really excited to learn firsthand about the role of microfinance and the impact of this type of development on business entrepreneurs in Ghana and elsewhere.

Amber Barger | XacBank , Mongolia / Credit Mongol LLC , Mongolia / Transcapital Company Ltd. , Mongolia

University of Texas at Austin, Business Administration, Marketing

Mongolia

Amber Barger graduated with a B.B.A. in Marketing and worked in the interactive marketing field before moving to Mongolia. The past two years Amber has been volunteering as a business development advisor in the U.S. Peace Corps. Her work has involved consulting and training small businesses in several rural grassroots development projects. When she is not working, she is taking in the bucolic, thousand-year-old Mongolian traditions that surround her. Amber is continuing to hone her ability to speak Mongolian and live in the coldest capital in the world, Ulaanbaatar. As well as being a Kiva Fellow, Amber will serve as a Peace Corps Volunteer Leader, acting as a liaison between volunteers, community organizations, and the Peace Corps staff.

Alex Silversmith | Tamweelcom , Jordan

Washington University, St. Louis, International Relations

Jordan

Alex is interested in all things related to community development, entrepreneurship, and social business. He currently resides two blocks from the Nile River in Cairo, where he can pursue his love for exploring and learning from the places and people around him. Alex was born and raised in the DC metro area, and while in college, was trained in mediation techniques in the Czech Republic and counseling techniques in the US. Through his work, he has been exposed to the mechanics of both international development projects in MENA and non-profit organizations in the US. He is excited to learn from and work with Jordanians once again, this time as a Kiva Fellow, having had the privilege to do so once before while supporting USAID activities in Jordan.

Lisa Skowron | Tanaoba Lais Manekat Foundation (TLM) , Indonesia

University of Illnois Urbana-Champaign, Business Administration

Indonesia

Lisa was born in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. After spending her childhood between Hong Kong and England, she came to Chicago with her family to continue her education. After graduating with a degree in Business Administration from the University of Illinois, she took a trek through Southeast Asia and spent time volunteering in Cambodia through an UNESCO program. The experience helped her discover her passion for social endeavors and international development. Upon her return, she took a job in consulting for non-profit research institutions across the US, assisting with technology implementations and business process redesign. To further her knowledge of cutting edge interactive technology, Lisa now works at an advertising agency and manages website development and execution. She hopes one day to combine her passions for interactive technology and international development.

Gustavo Visalli | Asociación ASDIR , Guatemala

University of California, Davis, International Relations and Spanish

Guatemala

Growing up in the diverse city of San Francisco sparked Gustavo’s interest in international relations and the Spanish language. At the University of Costa Rica, he studied Nicaraguan - Costa Rican social and economic relations while living in San José. With work experience in personal finance, financial analysis, and international trade regulation, he looks forward to sharing a mixed bag of skills as a Kiva fellow in Totonicapán, Guatemala. He has had the pleasure of traveling through many parts of the globe sampling new cuisines and experiencing varieties of human culture. He is fascinated with the potential benefit microfinance has on a global scale. Gustavo joins Kiva Fellows 14th class to promote the benefits of microfinance and to experience and share the immediate impact Kiva loans have on borrower entrepreneurs.

John Farmer | CrediComun , Mexico

Truman State University, MA Math; University of Missouri, BA Math

Mexico

John has an MA in math from Truman State University. He became interested in computer programming after teaching math for several years, and now designs database applications. Recently, he's spent almost as much time in Guatemala as in the US, taking part in a variety of volunteer projects and coaching the municipal soccer team of Santiago Atitlán. When not coaching or working, he's usually playing soccer. A big fan of social entrepreneurship, microfinance and crowdsourcing, John is confident his fellowship with Kiva will be very rewarding.

David McNeill | Association for Rural Development (ARD) , Sierra Leone

Johns Hopkins University, PhD Neuroscience; Walla Walla University, Biology, Mathematics

Sierra Leone

David McNeill just finished his PhD in neuroscience at Johns Hopkins University. As an undergraduate, David worked for eight months in Kenya doing development and relief work. He is excited about the opportunity to return to the international development field and witness first hand the impact of microcredit. During graduate school, David balanced his laboratory research with rock climbing, backpacking, and scuba diving trips.

Alexis Ditkowsky | Womens Development Businesses (WDB) , South Africa

B.A. Individualized Study, New York University

South Africa

After eight years in New York, Alexis Ditkowsky and her husband quit their jobs in June 2009 to travel and seek out new opportunities in the social enterprise space. She recently finished working on marketing, digital media, and community-building projects for Ashoka's Changemakers in Boston, New York, and Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Prior to that, she spent four years at Brooklyn Academy of Music where she managed their email marketing and social media programs and was responsible for content updates to BAM.org. She currently volunteers with Net Impact Boston and volunteered with Acumen Fund and the New York University Health Center when based in New York. She is very excited about her placement in South Africa since she has many personal connections to the region and can't wait to learn more about the nuts and bolts of microfinance administration.

Nick Hamilton | Interactuar , Colombia

University of Edinburgh, Scotland, Modern European Languages

Colombia

After graduating from the University of Edinburgh in Scotland, UK, Nick worked as an account manager at an IT organization in London. He left to pursue a career in international development and is very excited about exploring and promoting the merits of microfinance. As well as having travelled extensively, Nick has volunteered on a variety of projects overseas, including teaching English in Ecuador, working at a home for abandoned children in Argentina and building a soup kitchen and working with street children in Swaziland. Nick speaks French and Spanish and is looking forward to tackling Haitian Creole on his KF13 placement.

Sherrise Pond | Edpyme Alternativa , Peru

Yale University, Political Science

Peru

Sherrise began living abroad and interacting with other cultures at the age of 15, when she was afforded the opportunity to study in Zaragoza, Spain. She continued her studies at Yale University, graduating in 2006 with a B.A. in Political Science, focusing on Latin America and Africa. She also spent a semester studying French in Paris, France. Upon graduating, she joined Citigroup’s Municipal Securities Department where she worked in the Non-Profit Healthcare Group. She executed bond transactions for U.S.-based hospitals and healthcare systems. Desiring to bridge her love of traveling with her interest in international development, she spent her vacations volunteering at an orphanage in Ghana and building a job development center in South Africa. In 2010, she decided to fully commit her time to working in the field of international development. Sherrise looks forward to experiencing a new country and culture and is excited to apply her academic knowledge of microfinance with the practical application she will gain while volunteering with Kiva.

Claudine Emeott | Patan Business and Professional Women , Nepal

Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Masters City Planning; Harvard College, East Asian Studies

Nepal

Among other places, Claudine has called Annapolis, Cambridge, Beijing, and, most recently, Chicago home. But it is Kathmandu that keeps calling her back. An East Asian Studies major at Harvard, Claudine conducted her thesis research there in 2003 and fell in love with Nepal. Her experiences also inspired her to pursue a career and graduate work in economic development, first at Development Alternatives, Inc. (DAI) in Bethesda and then at MIT, where she received her Master in City Planning with concentrations in international development and affordable housing. For the past two years Claudine has worked in Chicago at a consulting firm that achieves local economic development goals through public-private financing strategies. She is so excited to return to Nepal and is thrilled to be working with BPW Patan.

John Gwillim | Fundación Mario Santo Domingo (FMSD) , Colombia

Michigan State University, Finance and Public Policy

Colombia

Originally from Traverse City, Michigan, John graduated from Michigan State University with degrees in finance and public policy. During college and immediately following, he ran his own photography business specializing in sports and general photojournalism, including a project on cacao production by an indigenous cooperative in Ecuador that appeared in the New York Times. He worked as a technology and trading consultant for a financial services company in Boston, before accepting a position as the operations and sales manager of an internet start-up for the past year. John's passion for international travel began during a study abroad program in college; he has since traveled and volunteered in 26 countries, including Colombia where he is excited to return. John is looking forward to the learning as much as possible about microfinance and international development through on the ground experience with Kiva, which he plans to use while pursuing a career in non-profit strategy/management after completing his MBA.

Noreen Giga | Microfinanzas Prisma , Peru

Emory University, Spanish and International Studies

Peru

Noreen's passion for international development work started at a young age from her travels to Kenya to visit family. She pursued this interest through college, but after graduation she became more involved with social justice issues surrounding her in the United States. Noreen has spent the past three and a half years doing outreach and education work for Gay & Lesbian Advocates & Defenders, a New England-based legal organization that fights discrimination based on sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, and HIV status. The community work she did made her realize that education is a powerful tool for change and further solidified her passion for public health. She comes to Kiva with an interest in learning how micro-finance and empowering people economically helps build healthy communities. She is looking forward to applying the knowledge and skills she gains as a Kiva Fellow when she returns to school for a Masters in Public Health next fall.

Geeta Uhl | FINCA Peru , Peru

Columbia University, Masters Public Administration; Georgetown, BS Foreign Service

Peru

Geeta has a Masters in Public Administration in Environmental Science and Policy from Columbia University. She is originally from New York but has spent the last year living in Madrid, Spain working as an academic advisor for Spanish graduate students and assisting an international NGO on a global climate change vulnerability project. Previously, Geeta has worked for the City of New York managing economic development projects and for an international NGO working on community forest projects in Central America. Geeta speaks Spanish and is looking forward to learning more about microfinance on the ground and supporting women entrepreneurs in Peru.

Stephanie Sibal | MAXIMA Mikroheranhvatho Co., Ltd. , Cambodia

BA Communication Arts, Xavier University

Cambodia

Stephanie is a San Francisco local who spent her childhood in Manila, Philippines. She holds a bachelor’s degree from Xavier University as well as an associate’s degree from the Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising, and most recently worked for Eileen Fisher, a sustainable women’s apparel designer. She has also worked on numerous public relations campaigns for consumer tech clients in Silicon Valley. Stephanie is excited to begin work in microfinance and help bring choices to international borrowers on behalf of Kiva in Cambodia.

Gareth Davies | Alidé , Benin

Oxford University, Chemistry

Benin

Gareth has worked as a strategy consultant since 2008, after graduating from Oxford University in the UK. His main focus has been on developing long term strategies for a range of client businesses in diverse industries, and in bringing commercial best practice to government organisations. He discovered Kiva through a colleague Nicki Goh (KF9), whose exciting coverage of her placement in Senegal inspired Gareth to apply himself - having had the "eureka" moment while researching the role and benefits of microfinance in developing the poorest economies of the world. Gareth will be representing Kiva in Benin, West Africa, where he can't wait to contribute to ALIDé.

Caree Edson | SEF International UCO LLC, a partner of World Vision International , Armenia

Academy of Art University, Fine Arts

Armenia

Caree was born and raised in Littleton, Colorado. She pursued a degree in Illustration, only to discover upon completion of her studies, that she did not truly enjoy this line of work. Seeking a career with deeper satisfaction, Caree ventured out to see the world through an English teaching position in Japan. Through this position and travels throughout South East Asia, she uncovered a passion for communication and bridging cultural divides that she didn’t know she had. She altered her career to match her new mission. Since returning to Colorado 6 years ago, Caree has been working in the non-profit sector, teaching English, job readiness and GED to immigrants, refugees, and single mothers transitioning off of government assistance. Now thoroughly enjoying her work, Caree would like to return to school to obtain a Master’s in International Policy starting in June, 2011. Micro-finance as a means to realizing self-sufficiency is an area of great interest to Caree and she is ecstatic to be joining Kiva and supporting their mission with entrepreneurs in Armenia.

Mei-ing Cheok | Christian Rural Aid Network (CRAN) , Ghana

National University of Singapore, Economics and Political Science

Ghana

Born and bred in Singapore, Mei-ing has spent most of her career in the financial services, mostly focusing on marketing, business development and relationship management. She’s spent the past seven and a half years at ipac financial planning, where the highlights for her have been championing financial education to consumers in Singapore and Hong Kong; and starting the Women Mean Business network, which aims to help women achieve work-life success through financial empowerment. Having worked in a fairly affluent society, promoting important messages about making the right money decisions and planning for the future, she would like to focus now on working with a different group of people - a group that needs the most basic of financial services for economic security and for a livelihood – and make a difference where it matters most.

Karen Gray | MiCredito , Nicaragua

Ohio University, Masters Communications Development Studies; University of Oregon, International Studies, Japanese

Nicaragua

Karen is from San Francisco, home to Kiva. She studied communications and development, and went on to a career in broadband telecommunications. That is, until seeing an article in the newspaper about the work of the UNDP to connect Afghanistan to the internet. Two weeks later, she landed in Kabul, and began a project to install nine internet kiosks around the war-torn city. Since then, Karen has volunteered with a literacy non-profit in Argentina, while studying Spanish at the University of Buenos Aires. And now, two months after reading Yunus' Banker To The Poor, Karen is off to Nicaragua as a fervent Kiva Fellow.

Caitlin Ross | Amasezerano Community Banking S.A. , Rwanda

Rwanda

Caitlin caught the travel bug at a young age, but her interest in international development came after a month-long trip to Bamako, Mali at the age of 16. During her time there, she worked with an orphanage and with a women's socioeconomic development organization. She went on to study International Relations and French at the University of Southern California, with an emphasis on International Development and Human Rights. During her college years, she studied abroad in Paris, and went back to Bamako to work with UNAIDS on Mali's National Strategy for HIV/AIDS. She is a former Kiva intern, and is looking forward to learning more about microfinance as a tool for international development while working in the field as a Kiva Fellow. She is most excited about getting to interview Kiva borrowers, and getting to know a new country and culture.

Frederic Billou | Finadev Benin , Benin

Institut d'Administration des Enterprises, MBA International Trade; Institut d'Etudes politiques de Strasbourg, Finance and Economics

Benin

Frederic hails from France, where he was born and educated. He discovered Kiva in the early days while working at Paypal with Kiva Founder, Premal Shah. Frederic has been a long time lender to Kiva borrowers. He looks forward to getting to know Kiva and some of its borrowers from the field.

Joanne Gan | Negros Women for Tomorrow Foundation, Inc. (NWTF) , Philippines

Stanford University, Masters Management Science and Engineering; Stanford University, Economics and International Relations

Philippines

Born and raised in Wellington, New Zealand, Joanne is a true kiwi at heart, despite having spent the last seven years in the United States. She graduated from Stanford University in 2006 with a BA in Economics and International Relations, where she was first introduced to the world of microfinance during a development economics class. Since completing her graduate degree in 2007, Joanne has spent the past three years working in finance. Having witnessed the sheer growth that can come from access to the debt capital markets at a corporate level, she is excited to see the tool of credit be put to use in a more meaningful setting. Joanne is equally excited to be returning to the Asia/Pacific region, as she works with MUK in Indonesia and NWTF in the Philippines.

Charlie Wood | MCC Mol Bulak Finance LLC , Kyrgyzstan

Pitzer College, Biology and Sociology

Kyrgyz Republic

Sometime during a year off spent living in the South Pacific, Charlie realized that he did not truly want to pursue medicine. As it was, this left him with a mission to create positive change in the world but not a whole lot of direction in how he should go about it. In the four years since graduating he has spent significant amounts of time in Israel, Palestine, Turkey, Egypt, Jordan, India, Nepal, Bangladesh, and Japan. He also worked for 18 months in project management at Lend Lease Corp., a multinational construction and real estate company. Along the way he decided that public interest law would be his next step, potentially working with non-profits such as Kiva on legal procedures and implications of their work. In the meantime he is thrilled to be spending the next six months in Kyrgyzstan and is dreaming of ushankas.

Jacqueline Gunn | Christian Rural Aid Network (CRAN) , Ghana

University of Nottingham, Philosophy

Ghana

After graduating from the University of Nottingham with a degree in Philosophy, Jacqueline spent a year living in Cambodia working for the Global Child Programme, where her main roles were in research and teaching. She then moved to London to work for the National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children (NSPCC). During her first year at the NSPCC she worked as a Graduate Trainee across a series of directorates, including High Value Donors, Direct Donor Marketing and Digital Fundraising before settling into her role within Legacy Marketing. For the past two years she has worked on a range of projects including delivering a successful integrated tv and digital campaign. Jacqueline has had a passion for not for profits as far back as she can remember. In her student days, she sat on the Executive Board for the UK's highest grossing student charity. She has also spent time working at The British Red Cross and Cancer Research UK. Jacqueline is really excited to learn firsthand about the role of microfinance and the impact of this type of development on business entrepreneurs in Ghana and elsewhere.

Laura Parr | LLC Micro Finance Organization Credo , Georgia

Washington College, B.A. International Studies

Georgia

Laura grew up and attended college in Maryland, and has spent the last few years living in beautiful Northern California. Her background includes working with top-notch non-profits such as the Worldwatch Institute and the Jane Goodall Institute. Laura also spent several years working in finance at the Corporate Executive Board, a for-profit management consulting firm. Laura plans to transition her career into the field of international development, and is particularly interested in developing business opportunities for women. Personal and professional travel has taken her to Africa (including study abroad programs in South Africa and Tanzania), Europe, and Central America, and she looks forward to exploring new areas of the globe working with Kiva’s field partners and entrepreneurs. In her personal time, Laura loves to read, bake, explore, and practice yoga.

Anna Cleal | Pearl Microfinance Limited , Uganda

University of Canterbury, Christchurch, New Zealand, Civil Engineering

Uganda

Anna trained as a civil engineer and has been working for the last three years for a New Zealand consultancy company. She believes that while engineering is not directly related to microfinance the two have some similar qualities in terms of analyzing the world and coming up with ways to improve the quality of life. Growing up in New Zealand, so far away from so much of the world, often sparks an innate curiosity and desire to travel. This desire to travel prompted a three-month trip post university through Vietnam, Thailand and Cambodia. This trip awakened Anna's curiosity in the developing world. Upon returning from her travels she read an interesting article about an organization called Kiva. Then, relatively unaware of the potential of microfinance she was intrigued by the simplicity of the concept as well as the personal and direct approach to aid. Anna recently spent a year in the Philippines working on hydropower schemes in Davao, with a focus on providing reliable electricity, water supply and flood control to nearby communities. The desire to move beyond subsistence living is ever present within Philippines culture and Anna believes that microfinance provides an excellent platform to do this. She is looking forward to returning to the Philippines with a different purpose, as well as learning more about the world of microfinance.

Carrie Piesen | MLO Humo and Partners , Tajikistan

University of Pennsylvania, Computer Science & Engineering

Tajikistan

Originally from Edison, NJ, Carrie graduated with a Computer Science degree from Penn before working and traveling throughout Europe for a year, then spending two years day trading equities for her own account. Because she was self employed, she was able to take time between busy trading seasons to continue traveling, and backpacked for months at a time throughout Asia, Central America and East Africa. In 2006 she moved to New York and became one of the first employees of YellowJacket, a small technology venture that over the next four years expanded to become the leading off-exchange network and trading platform for the global energy industry. After spending last summer living and working on an organic farm in rural Virginia, she is thrilled to be heading to Dushanbe, Tajikistan, to connect with farmers and other small business owners in the region. Carrie is inspired by Kiva and the entrepreneurs it supports, and is excited to be a part of its mission going forward.

Eric Burdullis | Asociación Arariwa , Peru

Pepperdine University, International Business

Peru

Eric recently graduated from Pepperdine University with a degree in International Business. While at university, Eric had the opportunity to study and volunteer in Buenos Aires, Argentina, to study public policy in Israel, and to intern at the Argentine Consulate in Los Angeles. Growing up in Los Angeles and his abroad experiences sparked both his passion for community and international development and his interest in microfinance as a means to pursue this passion. After the fellowship at Kiva, Eric hopes to pursue a career in corporate social responsibility. A dedicated wanderer and surfer, Eric speaks Spanish and is looking forward to making some new friends in Guatemala.

Jerry Harter | Koperasi Mitra Usaha Kecil (MUK) , Indonesia

Antioch University, Masters Whole Systems Design; Purdue University, Psychology

Indonesia

After working several years in education and social services in Wisconsin, Jerry made his way to Seattle to start a business importing kites and other handicrafts from Southeast Asia. Buying directly from the artisans, Jerry became aware of the importance of small business and micro-credit in developing countries. He also gained a great appreciation for the educational value of travel. This led to his return to education and leading high school students on four-month educational journeys through South and Southeast Asia. Financial pragmatism led to a career change and to developing software for Washington state schools. Today, he's semi-retired and spends his time doing handyman work and software development, volunteering as a beach naturalist with the Seattle Aquarium and is on the board of Generations for Global Giving, supporting a meals program for elderly in Lima. Jerry is excited about the opportunity to work as a Kiva fellow with MUK in Indonesia. Supporting small entrepreneurs in developing countries feels like coming full circle to him.

Betsy McCormick | Interactuar , Colombia

Harvard College, Social Studies

Colombia

Currently residing in San Francisco, Betsy hails from both Seattle and New Jersey. She first developed an interest in international development while researching her senior thesis at a community center in Buenos Aires, Argentina. Following graduation, Betsy continued her international work by hopping on a plane to Guatemala to work with a US-based hospital on an midwife education program. She then spent five months backpacking solo through South and Central America. After returning to the States, Betsy began working at Peer Health Exchange, a health education organization. One day, she hopes to pursue a joint MBA/MPH. She knows that Honduras will be an amazing experience and is excited to learn more about microfinance.

Rachel Gittinger | Fundacion Mujer , Costa Rica

University of Kansas, Spanish and International Studies

Costa Rica

Rachel recently graduated from the University of Kansas, where she earned a B.A. in Spanish and International Relations. Born and raised in Kansas City, Rachel first experienced life in Latin America through volunteering with the Amigos de las Américas in the Dominican Republic. She then studied abroad at the University of Costa Rica, and spent two more summers volunteering with AMIGOS in Nicaragua and Honduras. Through these experiences she developed a ove of community and leadership development through collaboration with organizations in the field. She was first attracted to Kiva as a lender, and is excited to return to Costa Rica as a Kiva Fellow with Fundación Mujer!

Khiem Le | Fund for Thanh Hoa Poor Women (FPW), a partner of Save the Children , Viet Nam

University California, Irvine, Electrical Engineering and International Studies

Vietnam

Originally from Saigon, Viet Nam, Khiem's family immigrated to the U.S. when he was six. Khiem initially resided in La Crosse, WI for a short time before moving to Southern California where he attended nearby UC Irvine. While in school he juggled majors in Computer Engineering, International Studies and Management as well as an internship, a part-time job, and mentoring high school students in Santa Ana. While studying in France and working in India, he took the opportunity extensively explore and travel the region; he has travelled to over 23 countries on five continents. His love for travelling stems from his curiosity for adventure and he sees each experience as an opportunity to learn more about the world and himself. He spent the last three years working in the banking and capital markets industry as a technology analyst/consultant. Khiem is honored to be selected as a Kiva Fellow and is excited to pursue his passion for business, technology, and exploration in the microfinance industry.

Tara Capsuto

London School of Economics, Masters Comparative Politics and Economics; UC Berkeley, Political Science/International Political Economy

Kenya

Tara comes to Kiva from Global Business Network (GBN), a strategy consulting firm and futures think tank that specializes in scenario planning. She provided research, analysis, and design for GBN's consulting projects and workshops for private and public sector clients, including a recently completed report on the role of technology in international development. Prior to joining GBN, Tara held research positions at a nonprofit in Buenos Aires, and served as a liaison between farmers and community groups at the Fairtrade Foundation in London. She is interested in the intersections of law and economic development and looks forward to exploring these topics and embarking on new adventures as a Kiva Fellow.

Lourdes Toussaint | Credituyo , Mexico

San Diego State University, MSW; Universidad Panamericana Campus Guadalajara, B.S. Industrial Engineering

Mexico

Born and raised in Guadalajara, Mexico, Lourdes Toussaint studied Industrial Engineering and focused her work in the non-profit sector. Motivated by the great need to strengthen the organizations dedicated to improve social development in her country she decided to pursue a Master's Degree in Social Work and get some experience working in the USA. She is excited for the opportunity to work directly with a Kiva Field Partner and contribute to Kiva's mission, while witnessing the impact of microfinance in her native country. After the fellowship, Lourdes hopes to pursue a career in microfinance to help deliver meaningful and sustainable change in her country.

Michelle Curtis | Vision Finance Company s.a. (VFC), a partner of World Vision International , Rwanda

University of Melbourne, History and Development Studies

Rwanda

Michelle considers herself a Melbournian despite having spent her formative years in country Victoria, Australia. Most recently she’s been busy establishing the administrative operations for a newly funded prostate cancer research centre in Brisbane, Australia and has a background in administration management. Michelle is currently completing a Masters in Communication, with an academic interest in new media’s ability to build social cohesion and create meaning through connection. She has lived and worked in the UK and Canada and backpacked her way around Europe, South East Asia, North Africa, South and Central America. She has a passion for people, new cultures and travel and a healthy respect for sustainable development practices, having completed a BA in History & Development Studies. She would like to dedicate more of her working life to a meaningful social endeavour and is looking forward to learning as much as possible through the raw, hands-on experience of her time in Rwanda.

Julie Shea | Pro Mujer Bolivia , Bolivia

Copenhagen Business School, Business and Development; Roskilde University, International Development/Business

Bolivia

Julie has lived in Copenhagen for the past four years and is currently getting a Master's Degree in Business and Development Studies at the Copenhagen Business School. She is half Danish but grew up in the Boston area. After a semester abroad in Copenhagen, she decided to stay in Denmark for the remainder of her studies. After completing her Bachelor's in International Development Studies, she spent six months in NYC interning at ACCION USA, where she had the opportunity to learn about domestic microfinance at one of Kiva's first domestic partner organizations. Her passion for international development developed after an eight-month stay in South America in 2004-2005, where she had the opportunity to live in Cochabamba, Bolivia and travel to a number of other countries. After her Kiva fellowship, Julie will return to Copenhagen where she will write her Master's Thesis on microfinance.

Amber Barger

University of Texas at Austin, Business Administration, Marketing

Mongolia

Amber Barger graduated with a B.B.A. in Marketing and worked in the interactive marketing field before moving to Mongolia. The past two years Amber has been volunteering as a business development advisor in the U.S. Peace Corps. Her work has involved consulting and training small businesses in several rural grassroots development projects. When she is not working, she is taking in the bucolic, thousand-year-old Mongolian traditions that surround her. Amber is continuing to hone her ability to speak Mongolian and live in the coldest capital in the world, Ulaanbaatar. As well as being a Kiva Fellow, Amber will serve as a Peace Corps Volunteer Leader, acting as a liaison between volunteers, community organizations, and the Peace Corps staff.

Josh Richards | Al Majmoua Lebanese Association for Development , Lebanon

Lebanon

When Josh was 18 years old, he took a year off and lived in the north of Thailand, Chiang Rai, teaching conversational English. Upon his return to the UK, he went to the University of Hull where he undertook a B.A. in Southeast Asian Studies & Indonesian Language. After university, he began working in the finance office of a local charity that promoted disability rights & services. Although he began this particular area of work more out of financial necessity, he found he was quite competent with figures, growing to appreciate and enjoy the work involved in managing an organization´s finances. After six years with this organization, building on his financial administration and management skills, he became self employed as a bookkeeper/financial consultant. For several years, he worked for a wide range of local businesses, sole traders, charities & community projects, establishing & administering their financial systems on an ongoing or consultative basis. He then moved to Andalucia, Spain and began working for a family run property company in Gibraltar. At the end of July 2010, he resigned from this post, after a very enjoyable four and a bit years, in order to take up the Kiva Fellowship.

Ed Au-Yeung | Tanaoba Lais Manekat Foundation (TLM) , Indonesia

Master of Professional Accounting, University of Saskatchewan; Bachelor of Commerce (Honours), Accounting, University of British Columbia

Indonesia

Edwin grew up in Burnaby, a suburb of Vancouver, in British Columbia, Canada. He graduated from the University of British Columbia with a Bachelor of Commerce. After graduation, Edwin articled at the Vancouver office of public accounting firm KPMG, obtaining his Chartered Accountant designation and earning a Master of Professional Accounting degree from the University of Saskatchewan. Edwin has also spent a year working in KPMG's London, England office. During his time at KPMG, Edwin focused on the audits of financial institutions, and fit in trips to Costa Rica, Greece, and Poland. Edwin enjoys hiking, attending Toastmasters, and volunteering at a youth outreach program in Vancouver's Downtown Eastside. One of the things on Edwin's bucket list is to go volunteer abroad, and he sees his Kiva Fellowship as the perfect opportunity to use his work experience in financial institutions to serve people in the developing world. Originally from Hong Kong, Edwin is excited to be spending more time in southeast Asia.

EB Moore | Womens Development Businesses (WDB) , South Africa

B.A. Economics and International Relations, University of Virginia

South Africa

After studying the intersection of economics and international development in school, EB is eager to get into the field and learn about microfinance firsthand in Africa. She originally hails from Washington, DC, and most recently has been working in economic consulting, though she has also spent time in film and human rights advocacy. Hopefully, the experience she gains through her Kiva Fellowship will lead to a career in microfinance or development that will be able to quench her desire to be a global citizen. EB enjoys trying new things and is looking forward to the challenges and new experiences that she'll encounter along her journey with Kiva.

Ellen Willems

Masters in Economics, University of Ghent, Belgium

Ecuador

Ellen Willems was born and raised in Belgium. She earned a Master's in Economics from the University of Ghent, where her thesis described how family and community social networks help mitigate economic risks in societies that lack formal social safety nets. Prior to and throughout her studies she lived and traveled extensively in South and Central America. It was during those travels that Ellen was first introduced to the concept of microfinance. A group of women, who were part of a village bank, had started a profitable weaving business that allowed them to provide a better standard of living for their families. Ellen is excited to apply her foundation in social economics and broad cultural awareness to provide people like those women with effective tools that will enable them to lift themselves out of poverty. After returning from her Kiva Fellowship in Ecuador, Ellen intends to launch her professional career in international microfinance.

Lorin Alvarez | CAURIE Microfinance, a partner of Catholic Relief Services , Senegal / UIMCEC, a partner of ChildFund International , Senegal

Senegal

Lorin was born in Istanbul, Turkey. After having spent her childhood and teenage years between Switzerland (where she went to an English boarding school) and Turkey, she came to New York at the age of 18 to go to college. After graduating with a degree in International Business, she worked for a French fashion company for a couple of years, before going to the U.K. to get a Master's in International Finance. She spent the next 10 years or so in international banking as a loan officer in New York City, servicing a portfolio of multinational corporate clients. In the 1990's, she left banking and started her own business, importing handmade decorative accessories and giftware from Turkey for the U.S. wholesale market. Since 2002, she has been involved in the sale of residential real estate on the North Shore of Long Island, within the metro New York area. Through the years, she has always been interested in the social and economic changes of developing countries, particularly the impact of microfinance in those communities. An experience with Habitat for Humanity in 2009 building housing in a remote area in Nepal activated her strong desire to spend more time involved with such activities and expand her knowledge in the field. She is extremely excited about the time she will be spending in Senegal with Kiva and is looking forward to the experience.

Leslie Kincaid | Association for Rural Development (ARD) , Sierra Leone

Sierra Leone

Leslie Kincaid grew up in Yakima, Washington and was fortunate to be exposed to travel and new cultures by her family at a young age. After graduating from high school, Leslie spent a year living in Germany and traveling throughout western Europe as a Rotary exchange student. Post travels, Leslie relocated to the Bay Area where she studied finance, German and international business at Santa Clara University. Leslie is exited to bring a background in both finance and social entrepreneurship to her Kiva fellowship. Leslie spent the past year working with the Jesuit Volunteer Corps in Portland Oregon. Her time in Portland was spent working at Sisters of the Road, a non-profit café that serves the poor and homeless nutritious meals in exchange for work. At Sisters of the Road, Leslie split her time between managing the café and working in development where she helped to bring in the funds needed to run the organization. Prior to joining the Jesuit Volunteer Corps, Leslie worked with entrepreneurs at Silicon Valley Bank where her experience dealing with transformative and empowered entrepreneurs had a profound effect on her philosophy towards finance and building sustainable businesses. Leslie is looking forward to further exploring the Kiva mission and supporting the work of Kiva in Freetown, Sierra Leone.

Bridget Lewis | ACCION Texas Inc. , United States

Masters in Human Computer Interaction, Carnegie Mellon University; B.A. in Physics with an additional major in Human Computer Interaction, Carnegie Mellon University.

United States

Bridget is currently a user-centered design and research consultant for Anthro-Tech (www.anthro-tech.com) which specializes in projects with social impact. She enjoys taking on a variety of roles: whatever it takes to empower an organization to have the best long-term impact. Previously, Bridget spent two years program managing customer-visible projects for Expedia, where she discovered she likes to dork out about process and document design. Bridget was inspired to become a Fellow by a summer spent as a technology consultant in Valdivia, Chile. This exposed her to the philosophy of sustainability, which has become an important aspect of her efforts since. She also enjoyed the chance to work entirely in Spanish. A few years later, Bridget again traveled on-site for a consultancy, this time to Lake Quinault to work on developing sustainable tourism. Outside these projects, she indulges her travel bug with trips including visiting Spain and biking across Idaho. Bridget is looking forward to exploring San Antonio and seeing microfinance in action.

Jenny Coronel

B.A. in International Studies, Minor in Chemistry

Kenya

Jenny is a recent graduate of the University of North Carolina where she majored in International Studies with a focus on Africa and politics. She grew up in Louisville, Kentucky and has worked with Kentucky Refugee Ministries teaching English as a second language. Jenny speaks French, Lingala (spoken in the Democratic Republic of the Congo), and is currently working on Tagalog (the national language of the Philippines). She is looking forward to learning more about sustainable development and the opportunity to observe the impact of microfinance firsthand in Kenya. Following her work with Kiva, Jenny will be attending law school to further her interest in international relations as well as the intersection of technology and the law.

Casey Koppelson

Public and Private Sector Organizations, Brown University

Philippines

Casey gets excited about anything related to entrepreneurship, development, or entomophagy. She has lived and worked in Belgium, India, and most recently New York, where she wrote for the Ford Foundation's International Fellowships Program. Prior to that, Casey worked as a management consultant at Bennett Midland, focusing on not-for-profit organizations and public agencies.

Caroline Pattinson | CHF International Access to Credit Services Initiatives (ACSI) Iraq , Iraq

Lebanon

After finishing high school, Caroline spent 12 months teaching English in Vietnam, then travelling in Southeast Asia. She studied Politics and Economics at the University of Manchester, specializing in Developing Countries in the International Economy and International Politics. Following graduation, she completed a postgraduate law degree and worked in property law before spending three years working in the family real estate business, running various different departments. Her passion for travelling led her to work in China for a summer vacation, explore South and Central America, and Europe. A trip to Southern Africa in February reignited her interest in international development and led her to apply for the Kiva Fellowship.

Margarita Salasyuk | Koret Israel Economic Development Funds (KIEDF) , Israel

B.A. in Political Economics, Barnard College, Columbia University

Israel

Born and raised in Moscow, Russia, Margarita moved to New York City with her family at the age of 12. She graduated from Barnard College, Columbia University with a B.A. in Political Economics in 2005. After 5 years in finance in New York, specifically in private wealth management, she shifted her focus to microfinance. After completing her first fellowship with HOPE Ukraine in Zaporozhye, she is excited to explore microfinance in the Middle East with Kiva's partners in Israel and Palestine.

Nick Hamilton | Esperanza International Dominican Republic, a partner of HOPE International , Dominican Republic

University of Edinburgh, Scotland, Modern European Languages

Dominican Republic

After graduating from the University of Edinburgh in Scotland, UK, Nick worked as an account manager at an IT organization in London. He left to pursue a career in international development and is very excited about exploring and promoting the merits of microfinance. As well as having travelled extensively, Nick has volunteered on a variety of projects overseas, including teaching English in Ecuador, working at a home for abandoned children in Argentina and building a soup kitchen and working with street children in Swaziland. Nick speaks French and Spanish and is looking forward to tackling Haitian Creole on his KF13 placement.

Abhishek Banerjee | SEF International UCO LLC, a partner of World Vision International , Armenia

Armenia

Originally from India, Abhishek grew up in New Delhi, Singapore, New York and Chicago. After studying economics at the University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign, he spent three years working as an investment banking analyst at BMO Capital Markets in Chicago. In his early years, Abhishek was fortunate enough to travel extensively and had developed a strong interest in international development and investing in emerging markets. Abhishek looks forward to leveraging his analytical skills as well as his love of travel to help provide credit to those most in need.

Tran Chau | SEDA , Viet Nam

B.B.A. Finance, The University of Iowa

Vietnam

Tran Chau was born in Thailand and shortly thereafter moved to the U.S. After receiving a degree in finance from The University of Iowa, Tran worked as an investment banking analyst in the Chicago office of BMO Capital Markets where he focused on raising capital for entrepreneurs and for corporations, and on advising clients on corporate finance transactions. He is passionate about eating, traveling, enjoying new experiences, and finding ways to help those who are less fortunate. He is excited to further his fluency in Vietnamese, and to do his part to help inspire microlending and entrepreneurship in developing countries.

Caitlin Ross | Amasezerano Community Banking S.A. , Rwanda

Rwanda

Caitlin caught the travel bug at a young age, but her interest in international development came after a month-long trip to Bamako, Mali at the age of 16. During her time there, she worked with an orphanage and with a women's socioeconomic development organization. She went on to study International Relations and French at the University of Southern California, with an emphasis on International Development and Human Rights. During her college years, she studied abroad in Paris, and went back to Bamako to work with UNAIDS on Mali's National Strategy for HIV/AIDS. She is a former Kiva intern, and is looking forward to learning more about microfinance as a tool for international development while working in the field as a Kiva Fellow. She is most excited about getting to interview Kiva borrowers, and getting to know a new country and culture.

Ron Turley | Vision Finance Company s.a. (VFC), a partner of World Vision International , Rwanda

Rwanda

Ron finally completed his formal education 21 years ago at the age of 40. It seems hardly to matter now, but his university training comprises a B.Sc in Math (1972) from McGill University, Montreal; a teaching diploma (1975), Simon Fraser University, Burnaby BC; an M.Ed in Counselling (1980), McGill; and an MBA (1989), McGill. More related to the Fellowship position is the nine months he spent travelling Africa in his relative youth, an almost life long interest in third world countries, and that he and a group of friends established a $100,000 micro lending facility in Kingston Ontario aimed at helping primarily the disadvantaged. Ron has lived and worked in five of Canada's 10 provinces and one of its northern territories. Over the last several years, one of his prime interests has been volunteering on the boards of local and national not-for-profits. He is currently president of Neurofibromatosis Canada. His two wonderful children are grown up and he was looking for something to pull him out of the routine of the last 15 years. As a Kiva lender since 2006, he finds the fellowship a perfect stepping stone to the next stage of life.

Joanne Gan | Koperasi Mitra Usaha Kecil (MUK) , Indonesia

Stanford University, Masters Management Science and Engineering; Stanford University, Economics and International Relations

Indonesia

Born and raised in Wellington, New Zealand, Joanne is a true kiwi at heart, despite having spent the last seven years in the United States. She graduated from Stanford University in 2006 with a BA in Economics and International Relations, where she was first introduced to the world of microfinance during a development economics class. Since completing her graduate degree in 2007, Joanne has spent the past three years working in finance. Having witnessed the sheer growth that can come from access to the debt capital markets at a corporate level, she is excited to see the tool of credit be put to use in a more meaningful setting. Joanne is equally excited to be returning to the Asia/Pacific region, as she works with MUK in Indonesia and NWTF in the Philippines.

Casey Unrein | Edpyme Alternativa , Peru

BA, Economics; Minor, Education, Occidental College

Peru

Casey Unrein is a graduate of the Los Angeles based Occidental College. He has a BA in Economics for Business Management and a minor in Education. After graduation, Casey moved to Seattle where he joined the fiduciary services company Partners In Care and quickly became a Financial Manager and the Investment Coordinator. With Partners In Care Casey worked one-on-one with a large range of professionals including attorneys, accountants, investment advisors, and care managers to ensure that clients were properly served and their assets prudently managed. He also played an integral role in developing internal systems for investment management and quality control. The experience with Partners In Care taught Casey the value of organization and internal control and he therefore dedicated his free time to completing the necessary course work to sit for the Certified Public Accountant exam. Casey is currently scheduled to become a CPA in late 2010. Casey has traveled to many parts of both North and South America. He is proficient in Spanish and looks forward to increasing his skills in a business setting. Casey hopes to gain an in depth understanding of the Peruvian finance industry while working with Edpyme Alternativa and lend his professional skills to the development of their institution.

Donald Hart | MLO Humo and Partners , Tajikistan / IMON International , Tajikistan / MDO Arvand, LLC , Tajikistan

B.A. Economics and Management, Hope College

Tajikistan

Originally from Ann Arbor, Michigan, Donald's interest in microfinance began while studying Economics and Spanish at Hope College. Upon graduation, he moved to Chicago, where he has spent the past six years working for Accenture as a business and systems-integration consultant for global and domestic clients. Recently, his interest in development led him to Ethiopia, Mozambique, Indonesia, and Bangladesh to work with Save the Children on a supply chain improvement project through Accenture Development Partnerships, a business unit dedicated to channeling consulting services to help address development challenges. He is excited for the opportunity to work first-hand with Kiva's Field Partners and connect with entrepreneurs in Tajikistan, exploring solutions to socioeconomic and business challenges at the ground level. Outside of work, Donald enjoys trekking, climbing, sailing, and snowboarding, and is hoping to traverse the mountains of Tajikistan during his time there.

Iyanna Holmes | Urwego Opportunity Bank of Rwanda (UOB), a partner of World Relief, HOPE International, and Opportunity International , Rwanda / Vision Finance Company s.a. (VFC), a partner of World Vision International , Rwanda / Amasezerano Community Banking S.A. , Rwanda

MBA, Florida Agricultural & Mechanical University; B.S. Business Administration, Florida Agricultural & Mechanical University

Rwanda

Iyanna is eager to leverage her Kiva Fellowship experience into a new career in international development. Iyanna brings to Kiva a background in corporate and investment banking having worked with SunTrust Robinson Humphrey as an Associate Portfolio Manager and Financial Analyst. At SunTrust she assisted in the sourcing, execution, and maintenance of over $1.5 billion in corporate debt and other financial transactions. Prior to working at SunTrust, Iyanna worked with Tree of Life, an NGO in Ghana, to facilitate the organization of village credit unions. She has also written microfinance articles for MicroCapital.org, a leading online source for microfinance capital markets news. Iyanna feels that a career in international development is the perfect marriage of her finance and banking background, her passion for international financial development and poverty alleviation, and her love of international travel that she discovered while sailing on Semester at Sea during undergrad. She is excited to be immersed in Liberian culture and to serve current and prospective Kiva borrowers.

Carlos Cruz Montaño | Fundación Paraguaya , Paraguay

Loyola University New Orleans, MBA; Louisiana State University, BS Mechanical Engineering

Paraguay

Carlos Cruz Montano grew up in Mexico City and moved to the United States in 1998 to complete his undergraduate studies. He brings a background in project work as a design and lead engineer in the Capital Projects Team with Entergy in New Orleans. He studied business part time and concentrated in International Business. During this time he developed interest in small business and social entrepreneurship and volunteered as a translator for the Louisiana Small Business Development Center. Carlos likes to travel and practices yoga; he believes every work experience is an opportunity to learn and serve others.

Lina Goldberg | MAXIMA Mikroheranhvatho Co., Ltd. , Cambodia

English, Mills College

Cambodia

Lina Goldberg is originally from New York and was raised in California. Lina worked at Google for five years, first in California then in Dublin, and most recently in London. Before joining Google, she worked as a private investigator and volunteered for the Homeless Youth Alliance in San Francisco. She has spent the last nine months traveling through Asia and South America sampling the local delicacies. Lina has been a Kiva lender since 2008 and supports her love of street food through her loans to food vendors.

Eric Burdullis | FAPE , Guatemala / Asociación ASDIR , Guatemala

Pepperdine University, International Business

Guatemala

Eric recently graduated from Pepperdine University with a degree in International Business. While at university, Eric had the opportunity to study and volunteer in Buenos Aires, Argentina, to study public policy in Israel, and to intern at the Argentine Consulate in Los Angeles. Growing up in Los Angeles and his abroad experiences sparked both his passion for community and international development and his interest in microfinance as a means to pursue this passion. After the fellowship at Kiva, Eric hopes to pursue a career in corporate social responsibility. A dedicated wanderer and surfer, Eric speaks Spanish and is looking forward to making some new friends in Guatemala.

Vanick Der Bedrossian | SEF International UCO LLC, a partner of World Vision International , Armenia / AREGAK Universal Credit Organization , Armenia / Nor Horizon Universal Credit Organization Limited Liability Company , Armenia

B.A., Cultural Anthropology, UC Santa Cruz

Armenia

Vanick Der Bedrossian was born in San Francisco and moved to Paris, France at the age of nine. His experiences growing up in Europe fuelled an interest in travel, photography, and epicurean culture. He attended the University of California in Santa Cruz and studied abroad in Ghana, West Africa. He graduated with a B.A. in Cultural Anthropology in 2006 and was awarded Highest Honors in his major. Since graduating Vanick has been working at La Mediterranee, his family's bustling trio of Bay Area restaurants. His experience running a restaurant has been invaluable, but he is now looking forward to a new journey in Armenia as a Kiva Fellow. Vanick speaks Armenian and hopes to bring his passion for microfinance, writing, and photography to the Nor Horizon, SEF, and AREGAK MFIs present in Armenia.

Ann Hingst | Youth Self Employment Foundation (YOSEFO) , Tanzania

Master of Accountancy, Miami University - Ohio; B.S. Business (Accountancy Major), Miami University - Ohio

Tanzania

Ann spent the first six years of her career as a CPA at Deloitte Tax LLP in Cincinnati and Chicago, serving clients in the real estate industry. She nurtures her passion for travel whenever she has free time, and spent time living in India while working at Deloitte. She now works with her family's wholesale beer business, and loves getting to work with people who embody the entrepreneurial spirit and also spend time giving back to the community. She is looking forward to exploring a new culture, surrounding herself with entrepreneurs, and learning more about development work in Tanzania. She's also excited to tell all of her friends and family about Kiva!

Betsy McCormick | FAMA OPDF , Honduras / Prisma Honduras, S.A. , Honduras

Harvard College, Social Studies

Honduras

Currently residing in San Francisco, Betsy hails from both Seattle and New Jersey. She first developed an interest in international development while researching her senior thesis at a community center in Buenos Aires, Argentina. Following graduation, Betsy continued her international work by hopping on a plane to Guatemala to work with a US-based hospital on an midwife education program. She then spent five months backpacking solo through South and Central America. After returning to the States, Betsy began working at Peer Health Exchange, a health education organization. One day, she hopes to pursue a joint MBA/MPH. She knows that Honduras will be an amazing experience and is excited to learn more about microfinance.

Zerrin Cetin | Sinapi Aba Trust (SAT) , Ghana / Christian Rural Aid Network (CRAN) , Ghana

B.A. in Business Administration, Richard Ivey School of Business

Ghana

Zerrin is a Business graduate and has worked as a management consultant for the past two years, most recently on a foundations five-year strategic plan. She is very passionate about learning, problem solving, and storytelling. Having grown up in Turkey and traveled in Europe and Asia, Zerrin also loves learning about different cultures and people. She is very interested in microfinance and international development, and looks forward to getting a better understanding of both through her placement. She looks forward to being a part of Kiva's team and for her upcoming placement in Ghana.

Tara Capsuto | Fundación ESPOIR , Ecuador / Banco D-MIRO S.A. , Ecuador

London School of Economics, Masters Comparative Politics and Economics; UC Berkeley, Political Science/International Political Economy

Ecuador

Tara comes to Kiva from Global Business Network (GBN), a strategy consulting firm and futures think tank that specializes in scenario planning. She provided research, analysis, and design for GBN's consulting projects and workshops for private and public sector clients, including a recently completed report on the role of technology in international development. Prior to joining GBN, Tara held research positions at a nonprofit in Buenos Aires, and served as a liaison between farmers and community groups at the Fairtrade Foundation in London. She is interested in the intersections of law and economic development and looks forward to exploring these topics and embarking on new adventures as a Kiva Fellow.

Julie Shea | Manuela Ramos / CrediMUJER , Peru / FINCA Peru , Peru

Copenhagen Business School, Business and Development; Roskilde University, International Development/Business

Peru

Julie has lived in Copenhagen for the past four years and is currently getting a Master's Degree in Business and Development Studies at the Copenhagen Business School. She is half Danish but grew up in the Boston area. After a semester abroad in Copenhagen, she decided to stay in Denmark for the remainder of her studies. After completing her Bachelor's in International Development Studies, she spent six months in NYC interning at ACCION USA, where she had the opportunity to learn about domestic microfinance at one of Kiva's first domestic partner organizations. Her passion for international development developed after an eight-month stay in South America in 2004-2005, where she had the opportunity to live in Cochabamba, Bolivia and travel to a number of other countries. After her Kiva fellowship, Julie will return to Copenhagen where she will write her Master's Thesis on microfinance.

Amber Barger | Credit Mongol LLC , Mongolia / XacBank , Mongolia

University of Texas at Austin, Business Administration, Marketing

Mongolia

Amber Barger graduated with a B.B.A. in Marketing and worked in the interactive marketing field before moving to Mongolia. The past two years Amber has been volunteering as a business development advisor in the U.S. Peace Corps. Her work has involved consulting and training small businesses in several rural grassroots development projects. When she is not working, she is taking in the bucolic, thousand-year-old Mongolian traditions that surround her. Amber is continuing to hone her ability to speak Mongolian and live in the coldest capital in the world, Ulaanbaatar. As well as being a Kiva Fellow, Amber will serve as a Peace Corps Volunteer Leader, acting as a liaison between volunteers, community organizations, and the Peace Corps staff.

Tamara Crawford | South Pacific Business Development (SPBD) , Samoa

Bachelors of Arts: Economics and Foreign Affairs, University of Virginia

Samoa

A native New Yorker, Tamara graduated from the University of Virginia in 2002, with a degree in Economics and Foreign Affairs. Subsequently, Tamara spent two years working for an investment bank in Manhattan before relocating to Tokyo with her firm where she has spent the past six years of her career. During her time in Japan, Tamara was introduced to the world of microfinance, and a desire to pair her passion for social responsibility and her professional skill set prompted her to pursue an opportunity to contribute through the Kiva Fellowship Program. Humbled and ecstatic, Tamara is eagerly looking forward to continuing the work of the Kiva Fellows who have served before her, and becoming a part of the Kiva community

Ed Au-Yeung | Hattha Kaksekar Limited (HKL), a partner of Save the Children , Cambodia / MAXIMA Mikroheranhvatho Co., Ltd. , Cambodia / KREDIT Ltd. , Cambodia

Master of Professional Accounting, University of Saskatchewan; Bachelor of Commerce (Honours), Accounting, University of British Columbia

Cambodia

Edwin grew up in Burnaby, a suburb of Vancouver, in British Columbia, Canada. He graduated from the University of British Columbia with a Bachelor of Commerce. After graduation, Edwin articled at the Vancouver office of public accounting firm KPMG, obtaining his Chartered Accountant designation and earning a Master of Professional Accounting degree from the University of Saskatchewan. Edwin has also spent a year working in KPMG's London, England office. During his time at KPMG, Edwin focused on the audits of financial institutions, and fit in trips to Costa Rica, Greece, and Poland. Edwin enjoys hiking, attending Toastmasters, and volunteering at a youth outreach program in Vancouver's Downtown Eastside. One of the things on Edwin's bucket list is to go volunteer abroad, and he sees his Kiva Fellowship as the perfect opportunity to use his work experience in financial institutions to serve people in the developing world. Originally from Hong Kong, Edwin is excited to be spending more time in southeast Asia.

Peter Marchant | Womens Development Businesses (WDB) , South Africa

B.A., Economics, Vanderbilt University

South Africa

After studying economics at Vanderbilt University, Peter worked as an Analyst in the Corporate finance group of the boutique investment bank Cain Brothers & Company, LLC in New York City. At Cain Brothers, he prepared detailed financial models, presentations and marketing materials for healthcare services companies. Prior to working with Cain Brothers, Peter taught sailing and worked in public relations in Ireland, The Bahamas and the UK. He is diligently working on his Azeri in anticipation of his fellowship with AqroInvest.

John Rauschkolb III | Alalay sa Kaunlaran, Inc. (ASKI) , Philippines

B.A., Business Administration, Sonoma State University

Philippines

John received his Bachelors Degree in Business Administration with a double emphasis in Accounting and Finance. His love of numbers and passion for helping people is perfectly matched with the Kiva Fellows program. John recently left Deloitte in San Francisco as a Senior Associate in their Audit and Enterprise Risk Services division. With his 4-year experience at Deloitte, John will bring knowledge of the inner-workings of many companies ranging from Fortune 500 corporations to small start-up firms, as well as government-based institutions including the US Federal Reserve bank. John primarily focused on the financial services industry while at Deloitte, and he looks forward to applying these skills with ASKI in the Philippines. John is also excited to gain firsthand experience in the microfinance field, as he hopes to pursue graduate studies in finance or related international fields with the ultimate goal of pursuing a career in structured finance to provide 3rd world nations with funding for economically viable projects. When not working, John enjoys spending time with family and friends, as well as physical activities including golf, sailing, surfing, snowboarding and tennis.

Sarah Curl | Pearl Microfinance Limited , Uganda

International Relations, San Francisco State University; B.S. Marketing and Studio Art, San Diego State University

Uganda

Sarah grew up in Los Angeles and attended college at San Diego State University. She majored in Business Marketing with a minor in Studio Art. During college, she interned at TOMS Shoes and was able to attend a TOMS Shoe Drop in South Africa where 50,000 shoes were given away. Sarah currently lives in San Francisco and is working on her masters in International Relations with a focus on Development in Africa. She has spent the last seven months interning for Kivas Customer Service Department and cant wait to work in the field for Kiva.

Nick Whalley | Center for Community Transformation Credit Cooperative (CCT) , Philippines

College of Social Studies, Wesleyan University

Philippines

Nick was born and raised in Evanston, IL and graduated from Wesleyan University in 2007 after majoring in the College of Social Studies. After graduation, he worked as a Consulting Associate at Cambridge Associates, an investment consulting firm for non-profits, based in Boston, MA. Nick specialized in private equity and venture capital portfolios, and during his time at Cambridge gradually developed an interest in microfinance. He is a citizen of both the United States and the United Kingdom, and enjoys history books, soccer, basketball, and traveling. Nick is looking forward to his time in the Philippines and can't wait to get to help out with Kiva's important work.

Anjali Fleury | KREDIT Ltd. , Cambodia

BSW, BA in Government, BS in Communication Studies, University of Texas

Cambodia

After graduating from the University of Texas in her hometown Austin, Texas, Anjali worked as a social worker for low-income families. Always passionate about working to alleviate poverty, Anjali began to research the empowering approach of microfinance. In hopes of further learning about microfinance, Anjali volunteered in Haiti, interned in India, and underwent a training course with Grameen Bank in Bangladesh. These experiences offered a better understanding of borrowers and the intricacies of administering and conducting fieldwork within an MFI. Now, as a Kiva Fellow in Cambodia, she hopes to put into practice what she has learned, and gain experience in a new culture and environment before continuing with a career in international social work and development.

Brittany Boroian | Faulu Kenya , Kenya

Global Studies, Global College of Long Island University

Kenya

Brittany recently graduated from Global College, the only university in the United States where students can base 3.5 years of their residency abroad. With a degree in Global Studies and a concentration in Economic Development, Brittany has studied and worked in Taiwan, Thailand, India, Turkey, Bangladesh, Costa Rica, and Paraguay. She has worked with Grameen Bank and Grameen Solutions (a software development subsidiary of Grameen Bank) in Bangladesh, working on mHealth applications for mobile devices and analyzing Grameen borrowers in the field. In Paraguay, she worked with Fundacin Paraguaya in their Kiva department, promoting borrowers and their businesses through social media platforms. With her final semester in New York, Brittany worked with Acumen Fund as an administrator to their online community of 3,000+ members, and was involved in New York for Acumens spring *Spark! benefit. Currently, she is a micro-finance ambassador for iShop4Microfinance.org. Brittany is passionate about social enterprise and micro-finance, and is excited to join Kiva as a fellow for Faulu Kenya in Nairobi. She plans to join the Peace Corps as a community development volunteer in 2011, and hopes to get an MBA with a concentration in social innovation in the future. You can read more about her travels at brittanygoesglobal.com

Kaajal Laungani | Community Economic Ventures, Inc. (CEVI), a partner of VisionFund International , Philippines

BA Molecular and Cell Biology, University of California, Berkeley

Philippines

Kaajal, a San Francisco Bay Area native, received her B.A. in Molecular and Cell Biology from the University of California, Berkeley in 2006. She has spent the past three years working as a health services research associate at the Veterans Affairs (VA) Palo Alto Health Care System, conducting research and program evaluation work to improve health care delivery for war veterans. Since her desire to positively impact society has been inherent in almost every career and volunteer decision she has made, she is eager to immerse herself in the cause to alleviate poverty through microfinance. Kaajal views her fellowship with Kiva as a perfect opportunity that will enable her to pursue her true passions: traveling, experiencing new cultures, and being part of a noble cause which helps empower underprivileged individuals. While in the Philippines, Kaajal expects to be challenged and inspired by the perseverance, dedication, and hospitality of the Filipino people.

EB Moore | Local Enterprise Assistance Program (LEAP), a partner of World Hope International and World Relief , Liberia

B.A. Economics and International Relations, University of Virginia

Liberia

After studying the intersection of economics and international development in school, EB is eager to get into the field and learn about microfinance firsthand in Africa. She originally hails from Washington, DC, and most recently has been working in economic consulting, though she has also spent time in film and human rights advocacy. Hopefully, the experience she gains through her Kiva Fellowship will lead to a career in microfinance or development that will be able to quench her desire to be a global citizen. EB enjoys trying new things and is looking forward to the challenges and new experiences that she'll encounter along her journey with Kiva.

Dan Tulchin | CEPRODEL , Nicaragua / Fundación León 2000 , Nicaragua / ADEPHCA , Nicaragua

B.S. International Economics, Georgetown University School of Foreign Service

Nicaragua

Dan hails from the great state of New York and has called New York City home for the last 4 years. Upon graduating from Georgetown's School of Foreign Service in 2006 with a Bachelor's degree in International Economics, Dan joined the Municipal Securities division of Citigroup Capital Markets. Soon after, he moved to Wachovia Securities in the Industrials Investment Banking group, where he has worked on a host of debt, equity and merger-related transactions for the last 3 years. Dan looks forward to leveraging his analytical background, love of travel and extensive experience in Spanish-speaking countries to help facilitate the flow of capital to the world's underserved and underprivileged.

John Murphy | EDESA , Costa Rica

BA in Economics, BA in Environmental Studies, Dartmouth College

Costa Rica

John recently graduated from Dartmouth College with majors in Economics and Environmental Studies. Within his Economics major, he concentrated in International and Development Economics. This will be John's third trip to Costa Rica. During his junior year of high school, he was part of a service trip working to renovate an elementary school. John later returned to Costa Rica during a term abroad in college, this time studying Spanish, Environmental Studies, and Tropical Ecology. John looks forward to getting to know the country and its people better, this time as a Kiva Fellow.

Katie Morton | Yehu Microfinance Trust , Kenya

B.A. International Affairs, Spanish and Government, Skidmore College

Kenya

Katie, a Chicago native, spent the past eight months as an intern with the Kiva Fellows Program in San Francisco. Her interest in international development and microfinance stems from her studies as an International Affairs major and Spanish and Government minor as well as travel abroad. While in college, she worked closely with the local Latino immigrant community, conducting a study to assess healthcare access and teaching English classes. She also examined identity and geopolitics regarding the future of former Soviet states as a research assistant at Skidmore College. Adventurous in nature, Katie has scoured for firewood with a machete in rural Fiji, been chased by a sea lion in the Galpagos Islands, and rode a bike from San Francisco to Los Angeles. She is excited to experience the field partner and borrower side of Kiva while working with Yehu in Mombasa!

Gabe Francis | FUDECOSUR , Costa Rica

Costa Rica

Gabe was born in sunny California but inherited his southern charm from a childhood spent in Kentucky. In college at UC Irvine, Gabe juggled Economics and Computer Science coursework while competing in varsity Rowing, serving as UC Senate student representative, and studying for a year abroad in Barcelona, Spain. After graduation Gabe worked for a tech start-up before taking time off to circumnavigate the globe. It was on that trip, while teaching English at a Thai schoolhouse on the border of Myanmar, that he became inspired to improve education opportunities for impoverished communities. However it wasnt until he attended a lecture by Mohammed Yunus at Google, where he has worked for the past 5 years as an Analytics Evangelist, that he discovered micro-finance as a tool to make his difference. After spending most of 2009 developing Google's Web Analytics market in Argentina, Gabe recently moved to New York where he has helped organizations like the United Nations and Grameen America improve their internet presence. Gabe feels honored to have been chosen as a Kiva Fellow and is excited to combine his passion for economics, technology, and adventure to work hands-on with entrepreneurs in southern Costa Rica. Si, habla espaol e recentemente termino seu primeira aula de portugus.

Lorena Gil | Fondo Esperanza , Chile

Master of Science in Applied Economics, Illinois State University; Bachelor of Arts in Economics, Saint Lawrence University

Chile

Lorena recently completed a two year contract with the World Bank as a Junior Professional Associate within the Asia Knowledge and Learning Group serving East and South Asia country office staff, where she developed and delivered operational and technical training courses. Prior to her JPA appointment she worked as a loan officer for the Brooklyn Cooperative Federal Credit Union. She has also managed the delivery of financial education curricula and a federally funded Individual Development Account (IDA) program. Through these experiences she gained a hands-on view of how financial services can help individuals acquire assets. Lorena is eager to leverage her Kiva Fellowship experience to further her career in international development. Lorena originally hails from Brooklyn, New York, and earned her bachelor's degree in Economics from St. Lawrence University.

Casey Koppelson | Opportunity Fund , United States

Public and Private Sector Organizations, Brown University

United States

Casey gets excited about anything related to entrepreneurship, development, or entomophagy. She has lived and worked in Belgium, India, and most recently New York, where she wrote for the Ford Foundation's International Fellowships Program. Prior to that, Casey worked as a management consultant at Bennett Midland, focusing on not-for-profit organizations and public agencies.

Kelsey Quam | Cooperativa San Jose , Ecuador

International Political Economy, University of Puget Sound

Ecuador

After completing her bachelors degree in International Political Economy from the University of Puget Sound in 2009, Kelsey traveled to Peru to pursue a Fulbright Fellowship. She worked with female indigenous weavers in three highland communities on textile development and the preservation of longstanding weaving traditions that derive from Quechua culture. She sees person-to-person contact as an important part of international work and is excited for the opportunities as a Kiva Fellow that will bring her into the field. While working with Cooperativa San Jose in Ecuador, she looks forward to witnessing the impacts of microfinance on borrowers, improving her Quechua skills, and sharing her experiences with the international Kiva community.

Shirley Fong | AMK (Angkor Microfinance Kampuchea) , Cambodia

B.S. Business Administration, UC Berkeley - Haas School of Business

Cambodia

Shirley received a B.S. in Business Administration from UC Berkeley. Although she never stepped foot outside the country until after she graduated from college, Shirley has since traveled to 76 cities in 15 countries. She will be serving her fellowship in Cambodia, soon to be the latest addition to her count of countries visited. Shirley brings a background in finance having worked as an Analyst in the real estate group of a bulge bracket investment bank and, more recently, an Associate in the private equity group of a sovereign wealth fund. Shirley is looking forward to utilizing her skills to help build long-term sustainability in emerging markets via microfinance.

Becky Myers | Association for Rural Development (ARD) , Sierra Leone / Salone Microfinance Trust (SMT), a partner of ChildFund International , Sierra Leone / LAPO Sierra Leone (LAPOSL) , Sierra Leone

Finance, Economics, University of Maryland, College Park

Sierra Leone

Becky spent three years at a boutique investment management firm in New York before choosing to become a Kiva Fellow. As a fellow, Becky hopes to incorporate her investing experience with the desire to find sustainable ways to alleviate global poverty. Her interest in microfinance has grown through the years, having always had a strong curiosity for other cultures and people. She has traveled and studied extensively in Europe, Asia, and North and South America and is now very excited to begin her fellowship in Sierra Leone. Originally from Baltimore and a Finance and Economics major from the University of Maryland, College Park, Becky is looking forward to the opportunity to more thoroughly immerse herself into Western Africa's culture and to gain hands-on microfinance experience.

Margarita Salasyuk | HOPE Ukraine/Nadiya, a partner of HOPE International , Ukraine

B.A. in Political Economics, Barnard College, Columbia University

Ukraine

Born and raised in Moscow, Russia, Margarita moved to New York City with her family at the age of 12. She graduated from Barnard College, Columbia University with a B.A. in Political Economics in 2005. After 5 years in finance in New York, specifically in private wealth management, she shifted her focus to microfinance. After completing her first fellowship with HOPE Ukraine in Zaporozhye, she is excited to explore microfinance in the Middle East with Kiva's partners in Israel and Palestine.

Sam Kendall | MDO Arvand, LLC , Tajikistan

B.A. International Relations, Boston University

Tajikistan

Sam graduated from Boston University in 2006 with a degree in International Relations focusing on Post-Soviet countries. Sam has spent most of his working life following a passion for International Development. During university he spent a summer interning on Capitol Hill, and another summer working for a non-profit that brought Russian small business owners to the United States to learn from American small business owners. He recently returned from Peace Corps in Ukraine (2008-2010), where he worked in the Autonomous Republic of Crimea. He also worked for AmeriCorps in Alaska, and ACCION International a microfinance organization based in Boston. Sam hopes to attend graduate school upon returning from his Kiva Fellows assignment, and study International Development in Post Conflict Regions. He speaks Russian, and is excited to learn a bit of the Turkic and Farsi based languages that can be found in Central Asia.

Jen Welsh | Microfund Togo , Togo / FECECAV , Togo / Women and Associations for Gain both Economic and Social (WAGES) , Togo

B.A. in English and Economics, University of Michigan

Togo

Jen spent many years as a brand strategist for advertising agencies, creating provocative marketing campaigns for Fortune 500 brands. She has advised clients such as Visa, Nike, and GE on how to use new technologies to engage audiences and provide better branded experiences. Jen is eager to shift her focus from the private sector and join Kiva in connecting people around the world to inspire microlending and entrepreneurship in developing countries. Jen speaks Spanish and French and is looking forward to picking up some Ewe while in Togo.

Brandon Vaughan | PADECOMSM , El Salvador

B.S. Economics, Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania

El Salvador

Brandon just graduated from the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania with a B.S. in Economics focused on Finance and Global Analysis and a Certificate in Spanish Language. He's originally from Southern California, and has enjoyed the opportunity over the past four years to explore Philadelphia, spend a semester studying international finance in Madrid, and experience a summer in New York City working for an investment bank. His interest in microfinance began during his sophomore year at Penn, when he became involved in a project to plan, fund, and found a series of socially entrepreneurial businesses at orphanages near Guatemala City. When he's not lost with a backpack in a remote (and usually warm) part of the globe, Brandon loves to cook, surf, play outdoor sports, and read. He's excited to return to Central America and learn more about the role of microcredit as a development strategy before starting work as a management consultant in New York City.

James Allman-Gulino | Micro Credit for Development and Transformation SACCO (MCDT SACCO) , Uganda / BRAC Uganda , Uganda

M.A. Public Policy, University of Virginia Frank Batten School of Lead; B.A. Foreign Affairs, Minor, Religious Studies, University of Virginia

Uganda

James comes to Kiva from Deloitte Consulting LLP, where he has been working as a federal government consultant. He graduated with a degree in Foreign Affairs from the University of Virginia, where he was also a member of the inaugural MPP class of the Frank Batten School of Leadership and Public Policy. Originally from Washington, DC, he has long been interested in public institutions roles in poverty alleviation, and hopes to learn how the lessons of microfinance can apply to government initiatives. He is excited to live in East Africa for the first time, and is very proud to have been a Kiva lender since 2006.

Sally Bolton | CrediComun , Mexico

Postgraduate Certificate in International Relation, Macquarie University; B.A. International Studies, University of Technology Sydney

Mexico

Sally has been inspired by the meaningful connections and sense of global community fostered by Kiva ever since she first heard about the organization in late 2006. Working in the international communications field, she is driven by the desire to raise awareness and understanding of the realities of life in the developing world. Originally from Sydney, Australia, Sally has spent much of the past eight years living overseas, including studying abroad in Spain and Mexico, interning at the United Nations headquarters in New York, and working for the Australia Consulate-General in Los Angeles. Most recently she has been based in Timor-Leste working for Seeds of Life, a food security program within the Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries. Sally speaks Spanish, Portuguese and Tetum, the national language of Timor-Leste, and has previously volunteered with Kiva as a translator for Spanish language loans. She is excited to be able to work directly with a Kiva Field Partner and talk with entrepreneurs about how Kiva loans are making a difference in their lives.

Meg Gray | Opportunity Fund , United States

B.A. History, Bowdoin College

United States

Meg is a recent graduate of Bowdoin College, where she studied history and was involved in many activities including intramural sports and several mentoring programs. Until recently, she worked at a non-profit organization in Cambridge, Massachusetts, that promotes the healthy development of young children. Her work focused on organizing early literacy initiatives and supporting low-income families as they work to become self-sufficient. Her interest in microfinance began in an economics course in college, but working with low-income families drove home the importance of such initiatives. Meg is very excited to explore both the culture and cuisine of Nicaragua and is hoping to learn to cook a few local dishes.

Matt Raimondi | FAMA OPDF , Honduras

B.A. Finance and Economics, Santa Clara University

Honduras

Matt was born and raised in Boise, Idaho and spent three years of his childhood living in Barcelona, Spain. He completed his undergraduate studies at Santa Clara University, receiving degrees in Finance and Economics and a minor in Spanish. For the past four years he has worked at an Investment Advisory Firm in San Francisco. He has volunteered for Kiva as a Spanish translator since November 2008 and is very excited to work on the ground in Honduras. Upon completion of his Kiva Fellowship, Matt will pursue an MBA at IESE Business School in Barcelona and focus his studies on International Development.

Leah Gage | FECECAV , Togo / Microfund Togo , Togo / Women and Associations for Gain both Economic and Social (WAGES) , Togo

B.A., Politics, Oberlin College

Togo

Leah's interest in exploring grassroots development led her to remain in northeast Ohio after graduating from Oberlin College to serve as Interim Director of Main Street Oberlin, a non-profit that supports small business owners and local economic development in downtown Oberlin. Leah also interned with Women for Women International, an organization that works to rebuild the lives of women survivors of conflicts in war-torn countries throughout the world. In April 2009, Leah accompanied National Endowment for Democracy staff to Kampala, Uganda to attend a conference for African human rights defenders and visited several organizations that support grassroots economic development among small businesses in Uganda. Leah is excited to revisit Eastern Europe, where she studied in Budapest while in college, and to serve with HOPE Ukraine in Zaporozhye. She looks forward to exploring the impacts of microlending hearing stories from entrepreneurs throughout Ukraine.

Carlos Pierre | PADECOMSM , El Salvador

B.A. International Relations, Brown University

El Salvador

Born and raised among the blatant inequalities of Mexico City, Carlos graduated from Brown University with a degree focus on development studies. To compare economic models he studied abroad in China, Mexico and Japan. For eight years he worked in Tokyo, London and New York as an investment banker specializing in Latin American Emerging Markets with Deutsche Bank and Citigroup. Carlos believes that economies cannot be understood without their cultural context and thus speaks Spanish and Japanese with native fluency while his Mandarin and Portuguese are intermediary. To glimpse how half the planet lives, he travelled Asia for ten months, from Indonesia to Turkey and back by land, on a budget of USD 2.00 per day. While at Kiva Carlos wants to develop a deeper understanding of the advantages and limitations of private, public and NGO led development.

Aaron Kaye | Association for Rural Development (ARD) , Sierra Leone / LAPO Sierra Leone (LAPOSL) , Sierra Leone

B.A. Economics, Tufts University

Sierra Leone

Aaron was born and raised in California but spent the past nine years in Boston where he attended college and worked for a digital marketing agency. Aaron brings a love for running and food with him wherever he goes, including Sierra Leone. He is excited for the opportunity to contribute to the work Kiva does for entrepreneurs throughout the world and to learn as much as he can from everyone he meets.

Iyanna Holmes | Local Enterprise Assistance Program (LEAP), a partner of World Hope International and World Relief , Liberia

MBA, Florida Agricultural & Mechanical University; B.S. Business Administration, Florida Agricultural & Mechanical University

Liberia

Iyanna is eager to leverage her Kiva Fellowship experience into a new career in international development. Iyanna brings to Kiva a background in corporate and investment banking having worked with SunTrust Robinson Humphrey as an Associate Portfolio Manager and Financial Analyst. At SunTrust she assisted in the sourcing, execution, and maintenance of over $1.5 billion in corporate debt and other financial transactions. Prior to working at SunTrust, Iyanna worked with Tree of Life, an NGO in Ghana, to facilitate the organization of village credit unions. She has also written microfinance articles for MicroCapital.org, a leading online source for microfinance capital markets news. Iyanna feels that a career in international development is the perfect marriage of her finance and banking background, her passion for international financial development and poverty alleviation, and her love of international travel that she discovered while sailing on Semester at Sea during undergrad. She is excited to be immersed in Liberian culture and to serve current and prospective Kiva borrowers.

Drew Loizeaux | HOFOKAM Ltd., a partner of Catholic Relief Services , Uganda

B.A. Accounting, St. Michael's College

Uganda

Drew, originally from New York, initially became interested in microfinance after a service trip to an orphanage in Comayagua, Honduras during his final year at St Michael's College. Following graduation in 2006, he began work as an accountant in a field office of the US Committee for Refugees and Immigrants (USCRI) in Colchester, Vermont. While there, he helped resettle and serve refugees from many parts of the world. He continued to be involved with the refugee community after work by volunteering to help with tax returns and computer training. In the fall of 2007 he was transferred to USCRI's headquarters in Washington, DC where he provided support to all of USCRI's field offices. Drew is excited to continue as a Kiva Fellow after serving in KF7 and KF8.

Chris Baker | Patan Business and Professional Women , Nepal

B.A. Anthropology, Yale University

Nepal

Chris is a graduate of Yale University and a current Teach for America Corps Member in Denver, Colorado. As a recipient of the Rustgi and Charles H. Siegel research fellowships, Chris has completed field research related to Buddhist art in Nepal's Khumbu region and post-conflict identity politics in the southern Nepal. Chris previously served as a Kiva Fellow with Patan BPW in the summer of 2008. Having taught, studied, and worked in Nepal periodically over the past six years, Chris is excited to return to the field. Chris speaks Spanish and Nepali and plans pursue a career in social enterprise.

Sara Strawczynski | Urwego Opportunity Bank of Rwanda (UOB), a partner of World Relief, HOPE International, and Opportunity International , Rwanda

B.S., Biology, McGill University

Tanzania

Sara grew up in Ottawa and studied biology at McGill University in Montreal. Since graduating in 2004, she has worked at Health Canada, focusing on environmental public health programming in Canada's First Nations communities. Sara first heard about microfinance on a radio documentary, and was immediately interested in its potential for community development and poverty alleviation. In her spare time, Sara loves playing recreational sports, jogging and travelling. She just returned from several months as a volunteer hiking guide in Guatemala, and is excited to travel to Africa for the opportunity to learn first-hand about the power of social entrepreneurship in Rwanda.

Gabriel Castillo | CEPRODEL , Nicaragua

B.A. Computer Science, Networking and Data Communications, California State University, East Bay

Nicaragua

Gabriel was born in Nicaragua and immigrated to the US in the early 80s. He became a father while in high school and soon after graduating began working for a major telecom company. Within a few years he became active within the labor union and soon afterward, was elected to vice president. Gabriel was responsible for mobilizing workers as well as representing their interests. Ultimately, Gabriel stepped down in favor of a more bottoms up approach to instilling positive change. In 2006 he took part in a labor delegation to Colombia and in early 2009 after 11 years of employment, Gabriel left his job and began a backpacking trip that has taken him across the US and down through all of the Americas. One of his major goals was to learn to see America through his own eyes and better understand it so as to one day take part in its positive and sustainable development. In early 2010, he attained his other goal. He trekked down to the southernmost point in the Americas and witnessed some of the most beautiful scenery he has ever seen. With nowhere else to go but up, hes now heading North and eager to begin his work with Kiva, back in Nicaragua.

Jeremy Gordon | Juhudi Kilimo (JK) , Kenya

B.S. Mechanical Engineering, B.A. Political Science, Stanford University

Kenya

At Stanford, splitting his academic time between international relations coursework and technical studies in the engineering department, Jeremy developed a strong interest in the intersection of these fields and in designing appropriate technologies focused on users in the developing world. During an internship at the World Bank in Washington, DC, Jeremy was involved in a primary research project showing the immense impact access to microcapital can have for households and businesses in rural communities. He is grateful for the opportunity to observe the continuing development of mobile banking in Kenya, and the exciting potential for lower-cost, wider-reaching loans. After his fellowship with Kiva, Jeremy will return to the d.school at Stanford University to pursue a master's degree in engineering design.

Sam Trauffer | Bai Tushum & Partners , Kyrgyzstan

Senegal Masters of Economics, Minor in Media Studies and Political Science, University of Berne, Switzerland

Kyrgyz Republic

Born and raised in Lucerne, Switzerland, Sam Trauffer studied economics, media studies and political sciences at the University of Berne, where he graduated in 2006. Until recently, he worked as an economic adviser at a regional government in St.Gallen, Switzerland. With his interest in microfinance and entrepreneurship, Sam was fascinated by Kiva's approach to help the poor. He is excited to get deeper into microfinance while working in Senegal and to combine his interest in foreign cultures with a positive contribution to Kiva's mission.

Kimia Raafat | Opportunity Fund , United States

B.A., Biology and Spanish, Claremont Mckenna College

United States

Kimia, a San Diego native, received her B.A. in Biology and Spanish from Claremont Mckenna College in 2008. During the summer of 2007, Kimia studied abroad in Santiago, where she researched Chile's healthcare system and conducted clinical observations in urban hospitals and rural clinics. Last summer, Kimia was awarded the 'Projects for Peace' grant, which she used to carry out public health projects for the Talibe in Dakar, Senegal and for USWA (AIDS association) in Ziguinchor, Senegal. Although her previous abroad experiences have been rewarding, Kimia sought out a more innovative and less invasive method of improving a beneficiaries' quality of life. This research led Kimia to microcredit and eventually the Kiva Fellows Program. Kimia looks forward to combining her passions for South America, microcredit and empowerment as a Kiva Fellow.

David Connelly | Fundación Mario Santo Domingo (FMSD) , Colombia

M.A., International Relations, University of Chicago; A.B., Anthropology, University of Chicago

Colombia

Raised in Louisville, Kentucky, David studied at the University of Chicago and earned both his bachelor and master's degrees in four years. After college, he taught in Spain for a year before moving to New York City where he has since worked in the legal and not-for-profit sectors. He is honored to have been selected as a Kiva Fellow and looks forward to working with his host MFI and entrepreneurs in Peru. David plans for a fast turn-around following his half-year Fellowship, as he will be starting law school some two weeks after repatriation. Once there, he intends to continue exploring the intersections of law, economic development, and philanthropy.

Lyel Resner | Edpyme Alternativa , Peru

B.A. Political Economy and Physics, MIT

Peru

Following his graduation from MIT, Lyel helped found two volunteer projects in Latin America. Upon his return, Lyel took a position as a structurer in Emerging Markets for Deutsche Bank. After achieving a strong overview of the spectrum of roles that international finance can play in emerging economies, Lyel grew anxious to transition back into developmental studies and public service. Compelled by the thrill of social enterprise, Lyel left the bank to help launch Greensoul Shoes, a social venture that works with local artisans around the world to create sandals and other products made out of 100% recycled material. He most recently served as the Education Director for a non-profit in East Harlem. Lyels diverse set of experiences have informed his views on development in a way that builds on their complementarity. Their breadth will serve as strong preparation for work in the field.

Anna Antoni | Koperasi Mitra Usaha Kecil (MUK) , Indonesia

M.D. Medical University of Vienna

Indonesia

Anna recently graduated in medicine and now feels the urge to broaden her horizon before starting a career in medicine and Public Health. Her basic motivation for studying medicine was to help people- not just in her home country Austria- so she always wanted to work around the world. During half of her study period she was engaged as vice-president of a NGO providing an interprofessional mentoring program (Club Alpbach Medica). It focuses on improving health care and social systems around the world by supporting young students and professionals to develop their own strategies and to combine efforts to improve those systems. So she soon realized that the field of Public Health is her passion besides working as a doctor and she experienced the bottom up way of reaching regional/national goals. The socio-economic standard is strongly connected to health thus ways to improve people's living conditions are of great interest to Anna. She is very excited to learn more about an approach to improving living conditions and thus development of nations which is not based on charity or top down development strategies. She will enjoy spreading the idea of microfinance through KIVA very much and she is curious about the Balinese language after she learned Indonesian by research work as well as traveling in Indonesia.

Kevin Chaissan | Pearl Microfinance Limited , Uganda

B.A., in Economics with minors in Global Trade and Communication, Wake Forest University

Uganda

Kevin is a recent graduate of Wake Forest University in North Carolina, where he majored in Economics with a concentration in International Development and Policy. Kevin's passion for development work stems from over one year of independently traveling through sub-Saharan Africa and Southeast Asia in 2007-08. This past summer he was also fortunate to serve as a Global Development Intern in South Africa with ThinkImpact, a Washington, DC based NGO that works on rural community development in South Africa and Kenya. While this internship primarily focused on health and education initiatives, Kevin is eager to now utilize microfinance as a tool to help develop the emerging entrepreneurial class in Kenya. After completing this Fellowship, Kevin will begin an MPhil in Development Studies at the University of Cape Town in February 2011. He hopes this experience with Kiva provides an invaluable introduction to working in microfinance and a starting point to a future career in a related field.

Jenny Jin | Kenya Agency for Development of Enterprise and Technology (KADET), a partner of World Vision International , Kenya

B.A. International Relations, Stanford University

Kenya

Since completing her studies in international relations and comparative politics from Stanford University in 2007, Jenny has been working as a project manager at Google making products available and released in international markets. Born in Qingdao, China, and growing up in Sugar Land, Texas, Jenny has a life-long interest in working on social development and youth education, working and volunteering with the education non-profits Kids with Dreams, Foundations for Education, QuestBridge, Big Brothers Big Sisters, and Roots & Shoots. Jenny was inspired by Kiva as soon as she chanced about it after a lecture at Stanford, and soon after she applied to be a Kiva Fellow. She's excited for the opportunity to get a chance to learn hands-on about microfinance and serve Kiva, KADET and the borrowers in Kenya.

Aurelie Dagneaux | Cooperativa San Jose , Ecuador

ESCP-EAP Masters, European School of Management, Paris

Ecuador

Born and raised in France, Aurelie graduated from business studies in 2006, and worked for over 3 years as a management consultant, which took her, among several destinations, to South America. She developed a growing interest in microfinance over the years and finally decided to shift to this field, going back to studies for a master in microfinance. Shes thrilled to apply her skills to Kiva in Ecuador and contribute to Kivas mission of connecting lenders and entrepreneurs to change the lives of the latest. Shes blessed to go back to South America, where she already had the chance to meet microfinance practitioners in 2009.

Andy Raming

M.A. Southeast Asian Studies, Chulalongkorn University; B.A. Sociology, Southern Illinois University Carbondale

Thailand

Andy received his bachelors degree in Sociology with double minors in Administration of Justice and Psychology. He is basing his time working with Kiva as the foundation for his masters thesis detailing the social developments of microfinance in Southeast Asia. Andy has been teaching English as a foreign language, traveling, and playing rugby throughout Southeast Asia extensively for the past four years. Andy speaks Thai at an intermediate level as well as Burmese, French and Spanish at basic levels.

Michelle Baker | Sinapi Aba Trust (SAT) , Ghana

J.D. UC Hastings. College of the Law; B.A. Liberal Arts, UC San Diego

Ghana

Prior to becoming a Kiva's fellow, Michelle worked as a lawyer for 6 years in San Francisco, California. At a San Francisco Bar Association event, Michelle learned about Kiva and was inspired by its mission to assist the alleviation of global poverty. Michelle has traveled through developing countries and always felt that she wanted to do more than just be a tourist. Michelle applied for the Kiva fellowship program and was happy to be selected. She is very excited about the new experience that awaits her in Ghana.

Elena Kuehn | Capital Aid Fund for Employment of the Poor (CEP) , Viet Nam

B.B.A. International Management, University of Applied Sciences Karlsruhe

Cambodia

Elena is a Business Graduate and has recently worked for a large international media company in the field of Business Development and Digital Business Ventures. In this role she was identifying and evaluating investment opportunities, integrating young businesses into the company structure and helping them to grow their business. She wants to bring in this experience with young entrepreneurs into the field of microfinance and hopes to contribute to that great concept. Having lived three years of her childhood in Benin in Western Africa where her parents worked for the German Development Service (DED) Elena has from early on had a great curiosity for other cultures and people and has travelled, worked and studied extensively in Europe, Asia, Africa, North and South America. She enjoys outdoor sports such as snowboarding, climbing, tennis, sailing and diving and is looking forward to an exciting stay in Vietnam.

Kevin Henderson | Credit Mongol LLC , Mongolia

B.A. Commerce, Queen's University

Mongolia

Kevin is from Calgary, Canada where he has worked for the last four years in the finance department of Enbridge, an energy transportation and distribution company. He graduated with a Commerce degree from Queens University and has completed the Charted Financial Analyst program. Kevin is very excited for his fellowship in Mongolia and looks forward to utilizing his business background to benefit entrepreneurs and further gaining an understanding of international development issues, which he hopes will enable him to continue work related to social entrepreneurship in the developing world. An avid traveler, Kevin has studied abroad in Europe and recently spent a month teaching English in Tanzania. He can't wait to explore Mongolia.

Eva Nemirovsky | MCC Mol Bulak Finance LLC , Kyrgyzstan

B.S. Foreign Service: Culture and Politics, Georgetown University

Kyrgyz Republic

Eva is an Argentinian who has lived in the US for almost her entire life. In her formative years, she lived in Recife, Brazil near a favela (shantytown) where she first witnessed the realities of economic injustice. As Eva grew, she moved in and out of countries and cities--always with societal justice in mind, she would compare and contrast every new place. Eventually, this path led her to study international relations where she first learned about microfinance. After college, Eva moved to Buenos Aires, Argentina and worked at Idealist.org (nonprofit) as a User Support Associate for a year and at Tenaris/Techint (multinational corporation) in the Employee Communications Department for another. Before Kiva, Eva was a Project Manager at LatIPnet--a nonprofit that leverages the commercialization of Latin start-ups and medium-sized companies in the global market. Following her Fellowship, she will be starting an MBA program with a focus on Social Enterprise. Eva is looking forward to take part in the microfinance world at Mol Bulak in Kyrgyzstan, and she is sure many adventures await.

Alex Guild | IMPRO , Bolivia

M.A. Public Policy, University of Michigan; B.A. Comparative Literature, Wellesley College

Bolivia

Alexis is originally from the San Francisco Bay Area. In 2003, she graduated from Wellesley College with a B.A. in Comparative Literature and a minor in Economics. Upon graduation, she moved to Washington, D.C. where she learned the ins and outs of grassroots organizing through work in the political and non-profit sectors. Alexis first became interested in microfinance as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Guatemala. From 2007-2009, she worked as a health education volunteer in a rural municipality in the country's Western Highlands. The experience imbued in her a desire to pursue a career in international development, specifically the economic development of women. Currently, she is pursuing a Master's degree in Public Policy at the University of Michigan. While she will always carry Guatemala in her heart, she is excited about the opportunity to live in Bolivia and continue the wonderful work of the Kiva fellows before her.

Cheney Wells | BRAC Sri Lanka , Sri Lanka

MALD, The Fletcher School; B.A. European Studies, Economics, Spanish, New York University

Sri Lanka

He is originally from New York City, but spent high school in Russia and Romania before returning to NYU for his BA. After NYU, he worked for two years with an internet start-up, before heading to Costa Rica for two years as a Community Economic Development advisor with Peace Corps. One of his favorite projects in Peace Corps was working with a community bank to help improve the livelihoods of individuals in the town, while building a greater sense of "community" in the process. He is excited for the opportunity to be part of Kiva's new partnership with BRAC Sri Lanka!

Peter Tashjian

B.A. English, CSUN

Armenia

After working for a couple of large corporations directing all things web related (SA, QA, DEV, Release, Network and hardware optimization, etc.) while maintaining an entrepreneur-like spirit (meaning things got done despite the confines of corporate bureaucracy), Peter decided to join Kiva. He believes that most things in life are easy and simple. However due to various reasons, some valid, complexities have been innovated which we need to remedy. Peter is inspired by stories such as Shirky's, "The Collapse of Complex Business Models" and Robert Harrison's, "Weather Balloon Photos of Space Stun Even NASA". Peter believes life is like tightrope walking (sometimes with and sometimes w/o a safety net) therefore always stimulating. One of his favorite authors is a 16th Century Frenchman by the name of Michel Montaigne, a contemporary of Pascal. Though Peter grew up in West L.A, he's never forgotten his early childhood in Beirut, Lebanon where he lived a fairy tale like childhood until it's disruption by civil war which served as a catalyst for the move to the U.S. Hes now living a charmed life in Los Angeles, interrupted only by sometimes jarring, jolting and frequent aha synapses/thoughts in his brain, which are *always* exhilarating.

Kati Mayfield | Fondo Esperanza , Chile

University of Colorado, Computer Science and Engineering

Chile

Born and raised in Colorado, Kati was fortunate to be brought up in an outdoorsy, active, traveling family. While studying abroad in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Kati loved integrating herself into the city's language and culture and realized that she preferred seeing new places as a contributing citizen, rather than as a tourist. For the duration of her undergrad she worked in the University of Colorado's Study Abroad office, helping fellow students discover their own international identities; and has been journeying with purpose since graduation. She is eager to continue this journey with Prisma Microfinance in Honduras.

Magda Malinowska | Esperanza International Dominican Republic, a partner of HOPE International , Dominican Republic

M.A. in Hispanic Literature, Boston College; PhD in Hispanic Literature, Boston University; B.A. International Relations, Boston University

Dominican Republic

Since emigrating from communist Poland, Magdalena has been fascinated with cultural diversity and academic opportunities available in the United States. In the years following the completion of her degree in International Relations, she managed multilingual translation projects, wrote lessons for Spanish textbooks and foreign language websites, and explained the intricacies of Spanish grammar to university and high school students. To satisfy her wanderlust, she has spent a year traveling in South East Asia (from Moscow to Bangkok by land), and to fulfill her curiosity of academia, she spent two years studying literature written in Spanish. Magdalena is excited to have joined the Kiva Fellows program and is looking forward to working with a non-profit MFI in the Dominican Republic, while on leave from the PhD program in Hispanic Literature she is currently pursuing. She is eager to learn about how micro finance is changing the lives of small-business entrepreneurs in the Caribbean.

Steve Grey | SMEP Deposit Taking Microfinance Limited , Kenya

M.A. Counseling Psychology, Santa Clara University; B.S. Industrial Engineering, Virginia Tech

Kenya

While working for over 20 years in high tech (HP, Intuit) in marketing and management, Steve also served as a volunteer with the youth group at his church. Motivated by his volunteer experience, he got a Masters in Counseling in 2008. In 2008-09, Steve traveled around the world with two friends doing volunteer work at orphanages and schools in 15 developing countries (www.stevejoedavid.blogspot.com). Seeing entrenched poverty in so many countries, Steve became skeptical about large government aid programs but intrigued by microcredit programs that unleash the vitality and creativity of the poor. He hopes to see how microfinance works at the grass root level, encourage local entrepreneurs, and help strengthen Kivas relationship with an important partner in Kenya.

Yelena Shuster | Komak Credit Union , Azerbaijan

B.A. Anthropology, Hunter College, CUNY

Azerbaijan

Yelena moved to America when she was seven, soon after the collapse of the former Soviet Union (her birthplace) and spent the next 13 years of her life (stranded) in Brooklyn. A tremulous existential period awaited her in Hunter College where she switched majors five times before settling on a B.A. in Anthropology, which underscored her passion for people and comprehensive research. In her twenties she started traveling frequently. Her longest trip was an eleven-month journey through Southeast Asia, where she trekked through traditional villages; hitchhiked on the roofs of vans and flatbeds of trucks with local farmers; rode motorbikes through magnificent landscapes; couchsurfed with locals and expats; and volunteered in a Cambodian school. Yelena's goals are numerous and diverse: first and foremost to live in a utilitarian way. Second, she'd like to do something interesting and valuable such as teach, write, or found a start-up. She hopes that her time as a Kiva fellow will expand her knowledge about the world.

Meg Gray | Fundacion Mujer , Costa Rica

B.A. History, Bowdoin College

Costa Rica

Meg is a recent graduate of Bowdoin College, where she studied history and was involved in many activities including intramural sports and several mentoring programs. Until recently, she worked at a non-profit organization in Cambridge, Massachusetts, that promotes the healthy development of young children. Her work focused on organizing early literacy initiatives and supporting low-income families as they work to become self-sufficient. Her interest in microfinance began in an economics course in college, but working with low-income families drove home the importance of such initiatives. Meg is very excited to explore both the culture and cuisine of Nicaragua and is hoping to learn to cook a few local dishes.

Nick Malouin | UIMCEC, a partner of ChildFund International , Senegal

B.A., Economics, Tufts University, Boston

Senegal

Originally from Toronto, Nick headed south for university to Boston, where he graduated with a B.A. in economics from Tufts in 2006. Since then he has worked in the financial industry in Boston and then back home in Toronto, where he recently completed a two year associate program in risk management at TD Bank. Outside of work, Nick's interest in entrepreneurship and volunteerism led him to realize the inefficiencies of volunteer recruitment and to create an online social application that helps connect charities and volunteers. Nick has been passionate about Kiva since he started making loans three years ago and is very excited about his upcoming fellowship, wherever it may take him.

Avani Parekh-Bhatt | SMEP Deposit Taking Microfinance Limited , Kenya

B.A., International Affairs, George Washington University

Kenya

Avani is a longtime resident of North Carolina, and a graduate of George Washington University. She has worked for several international and non-profit organizations, including the World Bank, and most recently worked in India for two years on an initiative to link diaspora Indians with progressive and interesting social entrepreneurs in India. She has a passion for the social sector working with a holistic approach on issues that face society. Her interest in microcredit stems from an independent study of urban and semi-urban microcredit schemes for women in and around New Delhi. She joins Kiva Fellows 9th class in order to learn more about the mechanics of running a microfinance organization, so she can start her own organization combining microfinance, income generation, and green living in South Asia.

Leah Gage | HOPE Ukraine/Nadiya, a partner of HOPE International , Ukraine

B.A., Politics, Oberlin College

Ukraine

Leah's interest in exploring grassroots development led her to remain in northeast Ohio after graduating from Oberlin College to serve as Interim Director of Main Street Oberlin, a non-profit that supports small business owners and local economic development in downtown Oberlin. Leah also interned with Women for Women International, an organization that works to rebuild the lives of women survivors of conflicts in war-torn countries throughout the world. In April 2009, Leah accompanied National Endowment for Democracy staff to Kampala, Uganda to attend a conference for African human rights defenders and visited several organizations that support grassroots economic development among small businesses in Uganda. Leah is excited to revisit Eastern Europe, where she studied in Budapest while in college, and to serve with HOPE Ukraine in Zaporozhye. She looks forward to exploring the impacts of microlending hearing stories from entrepreneurs throughout Ukraine.

Julie Pachico

B.A., Reed College

Colombia

Julianne Pachico was born in Cambridge, England, and grew up in Cali, Colombia, where her parents worked for an international aid organization. In 2008, she graduated from Reed College, where she studied Latin American literature. She currently lives and works as a youth worker in Portland, OR. In the past, she has worked for non-profits in Tijuana and Ecuador, and hopes to apply for a masters this fall. Her interests include Argentinean authors and hunting for culinary mushrooms.

Hanna Azemati | Micro Credit for Development and Transformation SACCO (MCDT SACCO) , Uganda / Hekima, a partner of World Relief , The Democratic Republic of the Congo / Pearl Microfinance Limited , Uganda

B.A., Economics, Dartmouth College

Uganda

Born in Tehran, Iran, Hanna grew up in Wiesbaden, Germany, before moving to the Boston area in 1999. She studied Economics with a focus on International Economics, Finance and International Relations at Dartmouth College. After graduating in 2007, Hanna moved to New York to work as a Financial Analyst in the Leveraged Finance group at Citigroup, and remained with the organization until June 2009. During this time, she also volunteered for NYPACE, a non-profit organization of professionals who consult entrepreneurs in economically depressed areas of New York City. This past summer, Hanna worked as a volunteer for the 'Iran Inside Out' exhibition at the Chelsea Art Museum, where she conducted a series of interviews with artists, led exhibition tours, and organized exhibition-related events. Hanna is interested in exploring how art, journalism and finance contribute to social change and believes that microfinance in particular, by economically empowering individuals, can help them attain the political influence necessary to bring about important changes in their local and global communities. Hanna is fluent in Farsi and German and is currently studying French and Swahili.

Rachel Brooks | Juhudi Kilimo (JK) , Kenya

B.A., History, University of Washington

Kenya

Originally from California, Rachel relocated to Seattle after attending the University of Washington. She worked as a technical writer and online producer for Adobe and Microsoft and volunteered with Children's Trust Foundation and Childhaven. She has spent the last four years living in Paris and then Johannesburg, and recently settled in Nairobi. While in South Africa, Rachel volunteered with the Treatment Action Campaign, South African School Children's Help Appeal, and Vuselela HIV Centre, in addition to editing loan descriptions for Kiva.

Alexis Ohanian | SEF International UCO LLC, a partner of World Vision International , Armenia

Armenia

Upon graduating from University of Virginia in 2005, Alexis started reddit.com with friend & fellow graduate, Steve Huffman. The social news website, where readers determine the front page by sharing, voting, and commenting on links now has over a half million visitors every day. He sold reddit in October 2006 to Conde Nast and continued working there until October 2009, when he announced his intention to join the Kiva Fellows Program. For the last two years, he's also been working on an uncorporation he founded called Breadpig;, which creates and sells geeky products, donating all profits to related charities. Most notably, he produced LOLmagnetz ; (magnetic poetry in LOLspeak) and published the popular webcomic xkcd 's first book. Alexis is half German and half Armenian, speaks German, but only knows a few phrases in Armenian. He's expecting this fellowship to learn Armenian, as well as some good lavash recipes. He'd also like to make the world suck less. Just one more reason why he applied to be a Kiva Fellow.

Carlos Cruz Montaño | Asociación ASDIR , Guatemala

Loyola University New Orleans, MBA; Louisiana State University, BS Mechanical Engineering

Guatemala

Carlos Cruz Montano grew up in Mexico City and moved to the United States in 1998 to complete his undergraduate studies. He brings a background in project work as a design and lead engineer in the Capital Projects Team with Entergy in New Orleans. He studied business part time and concentrated in International Business. During this time he developed interest in small business and social entrepreneurship and volunteered as a translator for the Louisiana Small Business Development Center. Carlos likes to travel and practices yoga; he believes every work experience is an opportunity to learn and serve others.

Beth Ritchey | Credit Mongol LLC , Mongolia

B.S., in Business Administration Major in Finance, Miami of Ohio

Mongolia

Prior to becoming a Kiva Fellow Beth spent six years at Deutsche Bank's Asset Management Division in New York. Looking to utilize her experience in a different manner, Beth is now incorporating her banking experience with her passion to alleviate global poverty. Since Fall 2009, she has been working at Women's World Banking in their International Development Group. A native of Michigan and a BS/Finance graduate of Miami University in Ohio, Elizabeth is eager and excited for her placement in Mongolia as a Kiva Fellow.

Anna Cleal | Community Economic Ventures, Inc. (CEVI), a partner of VisionFund International , Philippines

University of Canterbury, Christchurch, New Zealand, Civil Engineering

Philippines

Anna trained as a civil engineer and has been working for the last three years for a New Zealand consultancy company. She believes that while engineering is not directly related to microfinance the two have some similar qualities in terms of analyzing the world and coming up with ways to improve the quality of life. Growing up in New Zealand, so far away from so much of the world, often sparks an innate curiosity and desire to travel. This desire to travel prompted a three-month trip post university through Vietnam, Thailand and Cambodia. This trip awakened Anna's curiosity in the developing world. Upon returning from her travels she read an interesting article about an organization called Kiva. Then, relatively unaware of the potential of microfinance she was intrigued by the simplicity of the concept as well as the personal and direct approach to aid. Anna recently spent a year in the Philippines working on hydropower schemes in Davao, with a focus on providing reliable electricity, water supply and flood control to nearby communities. The desire to move beyond subsistence living is ever present within Philippines culture and Anna believes that microfinance provides an excellent platform to do this. She is looking forward to returning to the Philippines with a different purpose, as well as learning more about the world of microfinance.

John Briggs

B.A., East Asian Area Studies, University of Wisconsin - Madison

Liberia

Before volunteering for Kiva, John was Assistant Managing Editor at Yahoo! News. During his time at Yahoo, he managed the editorial team responsible for continuous news coverage on the home page, and helped shape News' editorial standards and practices, products, and strategy. From 2006 to 2007, John joined a class of 20 journalists from around the globe as a Knight Fellow at Stanford University. Over the years, his travels have taken him to every continent except Antarctica. He also studied and worked in Japan for four and a half years. John was inspired by Kiva the moment he heard of it, and after learning more about micro-finance and social entrepreneurship, he applied to be a Kiva Fellow. He's excited by the opportunity to serve Kiva, its partner MFIs, and most of all, its small entrepreneurs in the field.

Karl Baumgarten | EDAPROSPO , Peru

M.A. with Honors, Economics, Edinburgh University

Peru

Originally hailing from the Motor City, Karl has spent the last three years studying economics at the University of Edinburgh, Scotland. Last summer, he worked at the Centre for Microfinance, a research institute evaluating the impact of various microfinance products across India. While there, he worked on a project studying the impacts of a rural microcredit with education program being implemented in marginalized villages around Uttar Pradesh. Prior to this, he also volunteered as a teacher at Incawasi, a small school for disadvantaged children in Cajamarca, Peru. His passion for international development led him to Kiva where he hopes his fellowship will guide the direction of his proposed dissertation studying the impact of microfinance on household decision-making. He is an avid traveler whose adventures have found him hitching to Morocco and blow dart hunting in the Ecuadorian rain forest. He is excited to see where his Kiva Fellowship will lead him, first to Costa Rica and then parts unknown.

Sara Strawczynski | Urwego Opportunity Bank of Rwanda (UOB), a partner of World Relief, HOPE International, and Opportunity International , Rwanda

B.S., Biology, McGill University

Rwanda

Sara grew up in Ottawa and studied biology at McGill University in Montreal. Since graduating in 2004, she has worked at Health Canada, focusing on environmental public health programming in Canada's First Nations communities. Sara first heard about microfinance on a radio documentary, and was immediately interested in its potential for community development and poverty alleviation. In her spare time, Sara loves playing recreational sports, jogging and travelling. She just returned from several months as a volunteer hiking guide in Guatemala, and is excited to travel to Africa for the opportunity to learn first-hand about the power of social entrepreneurship in Rwanda.

Leigh Madeira | Banco D-MIRO S.A. , Ecuador

B.B.A, Finance, Minor Japanese, University of Notre Dame

Ecuador

Leigh graduated from the University of Notre Dame in 2007 with a major in Finance and a minor in Japanese. As a lover of foreign languages and cultures, she also studied Spanish and spent a semester taking classes in Toledo, Spain. Originally from Philadelphia, Leigh spent one year after college doing investment banking in New York and, until recently, worked as a financial analyst at an investment firm in San Diego, CA. Leigh has passed all three levels of the Chartered Financial Analyst exams and has extensive experience in equity investing. Although she enjoys working in finance, Leigh has always wanted to spend time volunteering abroad and was thrilled to find the Kiva Fellows Program, which combines her background in finance with her love of philanthropy and travel. Leigh is extremely eager to see microfinance in action while in Ecuador and to experience all South America has to offer; even the mosquitoes.

Josh Wilcox | Cooperativa San Jose , Ecuador

B.A., Business Administration (Finance), University of Washington

Ecuador

Josh currently works in the Strategy and Operations practice at Deloitte Consulting and has experience assisting organizations across various industries in performance improvement, market assessments, and financial analysis. He will be taking a sabbatical from this full-time job to pursue his fellowship in Ica, Peru. He also received his undergraduate degree from the University of Washington Business School, studying finance, economics, and corporate strategy. He learned Spanish in school and while studying abroad in Granada, Spain, and has been a volunteer on the Kiva Spanish translation team since February 2009.

Dennis Espinoza | Apoyo Integral , El Salvador

Economics, Wheaton College

El Salvador

Dennis A. Espinoza, born in Guatemala City, Guatemala, has spent the majority of his life in Chicago, IL. Upon graduating from Wheaton College with an Economics major, Dennis accepted a job with Discover Financial Services. He has spent the last four years working for Discover managing the development and implementation of strategic payment services. Inspired by family and friends who have worked in microfinance, Dennis has always had a passion for utilizing his skills and education to increase the professional opportunities available to those around the world. As a Kiva Fellow, he looks forward to assisting in the advancement of Kiva's mission as well as supporting the development of Kiva's individual field partners.

Mary Riedel | MAXIMA Mikroheranhvatho Co., Ltd. , Cambodia

B.A., General Business Management, Boston University

Cambodia

Mary is excited to begin her journey with Kiva into the fascinating world of microfinance. A business generalist by nature she has worked in various domains - advertising, technology and fashion - managing projects and stakeholders. Having spent several years at a software start-up, she has a soft place in her heart for budding entrepreneurship. Mary's most recent experience as a Project Manager in IT Operations at Genesys Telecommunications has made her adept at identifying and meeting business needs with process and technology. In 2007, she also helped start Genesys Make a Difference, a corporate community outreach program, which allowed her to work toward positive social change in an international context. Mary is a member of the World Affairs Council, volunteers with Dress for Success and loves to 'culture watch', hike, bike, watch theater, and take art classes. She plans to return to San Francisco (and her bicycle) after her time as a Kiva Fellow and work in microfinance to empower the working poor.

Nick Lewis | Koperasi Mitra Usaha Kecil (MUK) , Indonesia

B.A. Journalism and Mass Communication, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Indonesia

Nick graduated from UNC in 2003 with a degree in Journalism but having spent much of his time focusing on Carolina basketball and pulled-pork sandwiches. During his time at UNC, Nick studyed development and gender relations in Kingston, Jamaica and also helped launch the first girls soccer program in the Kibera Slum of Nairobi, Kenya. After graduating he moved to San Jose, California where he spent the next 3 years as an elementary school teacher with Teach For America before joining Google as a marketing and advertising strategist for the following three years. Nick will work with DINARI foundation in Bali, Indonesia before returning to the states to start an M.B.A. program with a focus on social entrepreneurism.

Sheethal Shobowale | Emprender , Bolivia

M.S., Strategic Communications, Columbia University; Economics-Mathematics, Columbia University

Bolivia

After college, Sheethal worked in investment banking for Fox-Pitt Kelton and in investment management for Columbia Investment Management Company (the University endowment). After earning her Master's degree, she managed the New York data, analytics and research group of Media Contacts, an online media agency, and worked with large advertisers across varied industries. Combining her passions for social change, technology and community building, she recently founded Leap Work, a consultancy that works with non-profits in their online marketing communications. She plans to continue working with non-profits upon her return from South America. Sheethal also spends time volunteering at a local credit union, teaching financial literacy to youth and adults and coordinating her local block association. An avid rock climber and foodie, Sheethal is looking forward to scaling Andean peaks and learning all the Peruvian words for potato.

Marie Leznicki | Alidé , Benin

M.A., Anthropology and Fiction, New York University; B.A., Anthropology,

Benin

Marie was born in Poland and lived in Bulgaria before immigrating to the United States. She has spent the past few years developing business and advertising strategies for NGOs and Fortune 500 companies alike. Through these experiences and her eastern bloc upbringing, she has witnessed first hand the powerful impact business can have on behavioral, social, and economic change in a sustainable and empowering way. This has fueled her interest in a career in social entrepreneurship. With an academic background in anthropology and a passion for travel and storytelling, she's thrilled for the opportunity to work with Kiva, where all of her interests coalesce. She only wishes it was cheaper to fly from Benin to South Africa so that she could attend the World Cup. She speaks Polish, Bulgarian, Spanish, and French.

Karen Buxton | Local Enterprise Assistance Program (LEAP), a partner of World Hope International and World Relief , Liberia

M.A., in Intercultural Relations, School for International Training; B.A., in Human Development, UC San Diego

Liberia

Originally from Santa Barbara, California, Karen holds a Bachelor's degree in Human Development from UC San Diego and a Master's degree in Intercultural Relations from the School for International Training. Karen completed her eight-month Master's practicum in India and subsequently wrote her thesis on implementing HIV/AIDS awareness education at the high school level in Southern rural India. For the past four and a half years , Karen has worked in business development for the American Heart Association in San Francisco, where she gained valuable experience in bridging the non-profit and for-profit sectors. Karen has traveled extensively throughout Europe, the Middle East, North America, South America and Asia. She speaks conversational French and has a network of treasured friends from all over the world. In her spare time, Karen likes to hike, practice yoga, read any news articles she can get her hands on, explore new cities, eat spicy food, capture people and places in photos, and write about it all. Karen is a true believer in the efficacy of microfinance as a valuable step towards alleviating poverty. She sees Kiva's model as innovative and inspiring, and is thrilled to be a Kiva Fellow in Monrovia, Liberia.

Liz Nagle | Nor Horizon Universal Credit Organization Limited Liability Company , Armenia

Armenia

Liz has been Kiva's Editing Coordinator since March of 2009, managing the team of volunteer editors who review all English-language Kiva loan descriptions prior to their appearance on kiva.org. Liz previously worked in book publishing as a Senior Editor at Little, Brown and Company in New York, but decided after traveling in the developing world to turn her attention to international development. She spent a summer teaching English to high school students in rural northeastern Thailand through the Volunthai program before resettling in San Francisco. She's looking forward to helping Kiva's new partners in Armenia develop their borrower profile content and to seeing, firsthand, what kind of a difference microfinance can make in the lives of small-scale entrepreneurs.

Julia Kastner | CrediComun , Mexico

B.A. Economics with Political Science and Spanish, McGill University

Mexico

Julia Kastner most recently served as project manager at the New York City Economic Development Corporation (NYCEDC), focusing on city-wide strategic policy initiatives and internal business analysis. While at NYCEDC, she was also the alumni mentoring program co-chair of the Beginning with Children Foundation (BwCF) Junior Board after having served as the alumni program associate. BwCF is a non-profit organization that supports the operations for two charter schools in Brooklyn. She is fluent in Spanish and proficient in French, and she received a BA in economics at McGill University with minors in political science and Spanish literature.

Sam Trauffer | CAURIE Microfinance, a partner of Catholic Relief Services , Senegal

Senegal Masters of Economics, Minor in Media Studies and Political Science, University of Berne, Switzerland

Senegal

Born and raised in Lucerne, Switzerland, Sam Trauffer studied economics, media studies and political sciences at the University of Berne, where he graduated in 2006. Until recently, he worked as an economic adviser at a regional government in St.Gallen, Switzerland. With his interest in microfinance and entrepreneurship, Sam was fascinated by Kiva's approach to help the poor. He is excited to get deeper into microfinance while working in Senegal and to combine his interest in foreign cultures with a positive contribution to Kiva's mission.

Kimia Raafat | Fundación Paraguaya , Paraguay

B.A., Biology and Spanish, Claremont Mckenna College

Paraguay

Kimia, a San Diego native, received her B.A. in Biology and Spanish from Claremont Mckenna College in 2008. During the summer of 2007, Kimia studied abroad in Santiago, where she researched Chile's healthcare system and conducted clinical observations in urban hospitals and rural clinics. Last summer, Kimia was awarded the 'Projects for Peace' grant, which she used to carry out public health projects for the Talibe in Dakar, Senegal and for USWA (AIDS association) in Ziguinchor, Senegal. Although her previous abroad experiences have been rewarding, Kimia sought out a more innovative and less invasive method of improving a beneficiaries' quality of life. This research led Kimia to microcredit and eventually the Kiva Fellows Program. Kimia looks forward to combining her passions for South America, microcredit and empowerment as a Kiva Fellow.

Claude Mansell | Vision Finance Company s.a. (VFC), a partner of World Vision International , Rwanda

Master in Econometrics, Erasmus Univesity Rotterdam; MBA, UCLA

Rwanda

Claude is an experienced management consultant at Capgemini, specialised in business transformation in the financial industry. Born in Mexico, raised in the Netherlands in a Dutch / English / French family he made sure that his working environment would offer him an international perspective. Consulting assignments took him to many countries in Europe, US, Asia and Africa and allowed him to deepen his interests in multiple countries and languages. Having an eye for developmental challenges, Claude got interested in the phenomenon of microfinance and involved in Kiva as a lender. He volunteers for a role of Kiva Fellow, knowing that true understanding of the process and benefits of microfinance only comes with real field experience.

Adam Kogeman | KREDIT Ltd. , Cambodia

M.A., in International Policy Studies from the Monterey Institute of International Studies in Monterey; Linguistics, University of Arizona

Cambodia

Adam Kogeman recently graduated with an M.A. in International Policy Studies from the Monterey Institute of International Studies in Monterey, CA, having specialized in international development and conflict resolution. Prior to graduate school, Adam conducted language acquisition research at the University of Arizona, where he earned a B.A. in Linguistics, and worked for the U.S. Department of Defense in Washington DC. A native Southern Californian, he hopes to eventually utilize his education and the knowledge and skills he gains as a Kiva Fellow to reduce income inequality in and strengthen the social fabric of his beloved Los Angeles. Adam is very excited to gain firsthand experience in the microfinance field as a Kiva Fellow in Phnom Penh, Cambodia.

Adam Kemmis Betty | Pro Mujer Bolivia , Bolivia

M.A., Latin American Studies, Institute for the Study of the Americas (University of London); B.A., History, Cambridge University

Bolivia

Adam has a long-standing interest in Latin American development, born of memorable trips to the Peruvian Andes in his teens. He worked as a researcher for the United Nations Development Program in Bolivia in 2006 and subsequently gained an MA in Latin American Studies. Since then he has worked as a consultant for banks and other financial institutions in Europe and West Africa, working on strategy, sales processes and risk management. Adam is looking forward to returning to Latin America for one year as a Kiva Fellow.

Bryan Goldfinger | AFODENIC , Nicaragua

B.A., Business Administration, Cal Poly - San Luis Obispo

Nicaragua

Bryan recently graduated from Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo where he obtained a B.A. in Business with concentrations in Accounting and International Management and a minor in Spanish. From 2004-2005, he lived, studied and volunteered at a local marine biology station in Puntarenas, Costa Rica. After returning to the U.S., he completed a sales internship with NBC in his hometown of San Diego. Since graduating, he has traveled extensively through Central and South America, and touched down in Europe and North Africa. Bryan brings a background in accounting having worked as an audit associate for KPMG LLP, where he developed an interest in microcredit. Desiring to combine his passion for travel with his background education and an inherent urge to help others, he accepted one of Kiva's first roaming borrower verification fellowships. In his travels around Peru, he hopes to pick a few words of Quechua, play soccer with locals and try to squeeze in a surf in the North.

Rob Packer | Fundación Mario Santo Domingo (FMSD) , Colombia

Modern and Medieval Languages, University of Cambridge

Colombia

Rob is originally from London, England and studied Modern Languages at university, specializing in German, Italian and Russian. After graduation in 2004, he moved into financial services and began working at Goldman Sachs in London on an anti-money laundering research project, before moving into a risk monitoring role in the Operations division in 2005. During his 4 years in that role, he monitored the firm's exposure to hedge fund clients in the margin business. After transferring to the Hong Kong office in 2007, he left Goldman Sachs in 2009 to join the Kiva Fellows Program and move into the microfinance field. He has been interested in the field for a number of years and is excited to put his financial services and language experience to good use with Kiva and his fellowship in Kyrgyzstan. After his fellowship in Kyrgyzstan, he will move to Latin America for a second placement with Kiva.

Polai Av | AMK (Angkor Microfinance Kampuchea) , Cambodia

B.A., in Sociology, University of California, Los Angeles

Cambodia

Polai graduated from the University of California, Los Angeles with a degree in Sociology. She currently works at the USC Stevens Institute for Innovation where she supports the implementation of programs, events, and workshops to help USC innovators make maximum societal impact with their ideas. Polai's interest and passion in social enterprise along with her love for travel has led her to become a Kiva fellow. Polai is fluent in Khmer, the language of Cambodia where she will be doing her fellowship.

David Connelly | Caja Rural Señor de Luren , Peru

M.A., International Relations, University of Chicago; A.B., Anthropology, University of Chicago

Peru

Raised in Louisville, Kentucky, David studied at the University of Chicago and earned both his bachelor and master's degrees in four years. After college, he taught in Spain for a year before moving to New York City where he has since worked in the legal and not-for-profit sectors. He is honored to have been selected as a Kiva Fellow and looks forward to working with his host MFI and entrepreneurs in Peru. David plans for a fast turn-around following his half-year Fellowship, as he will be starting law school some two weeks after repatriation. Once there, he intends to continue exploring the intersections of law, economic development, and philanthropy.

Monica Hamlett | ADIM (Asociación Alternativa Para el Desarrollo Integral de las Mujeres) , Nicaragua

Finance, Michigan State University

Nicaragua

Monica was born and raised in Kalamazoo, Michigan. Her interest in Latin America stemmed from her first trip to Central America in 2003 to visit Costa Rica. After witnessing firsthand the economic hardships and huge divide of classes she was determined to return. In college, Monica went on to study in Queretaro, Mexico, as well as Quito, Ecuador. She is currently a manager at a credit union in Torrance, California. She is also an entrepreneur herself; she designs and creates her own jewelry, which she sells through her online shop. Monica is looking forward to continuing her work in Latin America as a Kiva Fellow and to helping with the financial situations of those less economically fortunate.

Rebecca Corey | Tujijenge Tanzania Ltd , Tanzania

B.A., Anthropology, English, University of Georgia

Tanzania

Rebecca Elizabeth Yeong Ae Corey was born in Daegu, South Korea, and raised in Athens, Georgia. An adoptee herself, she traveled to Peru at age five to help her parents adopt her little sister. Witnessing extreme poverty and need at such an early age left a permanent mark and inspired her to search for solutions to poverty throughout her life. While pursuing a joint degree in Anthropology and English at the University of Georgia, Rebecca devoted much of her time to volunteering in the local community and abroad. Her past travels include journeys to Peru, Australia, New Zealand, Italy, Switzerland, Tanzania, Zambia, Ecuador, The Galapagos Islands, Hungary, Romania, Austria, France and South Korea. While working as a volunteer in Tanzania in 2007, Rebecca co-founded the non-profit VolunteerAlliance, an organization that promotes volunteerism, cultural exchange, and sustainable development. While in Tanzania, Rebecca will be a graduate student at the Institute of Development Studies of the University of Dar es Salaam in addition to her work as a Kiva Fellow. If you find her in her natural habitat, she will probably be writing, practicing Swahili, playing guitar, watching soccer, or experimenting with her Canon Rebel T1i.

Brian P Kelly | BRAC Sri Lanka , Sri Lanka

B.S., Commerce, Accounting, Santa Clara University

Sri Lanka

Brian grew up in Portland, Oregon, and attended Santa Clara University in San Jose, CA, while obtaining a BS in Accounting, and a minor in French and Francophone Studies. In college, he helped a friend in editing a student-written social justice magazine, which is where he first read about microfinance. Since graduating, Brian has lived in New York City working for the public accounting firm Ernst & Young, in the financial services practice. He has worked with varying hedge funds, investment banks, and investment management companies during his time in auditing. Brian has learned a great deal about the financial services industry while living in New York, but plans to use his skills to pursue new opportunities in the microfinance world or possibly with social entrepreneurship, a budding interest. Brian will serve his fellowship in Armenia and is looking forward to the new opportunities that lie ahead, as he hopes to pursue a possible career or graduate studies in microfinance or a related field in international development.

Maia Pelleg | Sinapi Aba Trust (SAT) , Ghana

B.A., Political Science, International Relations, Duke University

Ghana

Maia graduated from Duke University in 2007, where she majored in Political Science and International Relations. Originally hailing from Minnesota, Maia has spent the past two years living in Boston working as a corporate strategy consultant. In this role, Maia developed many skill sets that will be useful to her as a Kiva Fellow, but more importantly discovered her desire for a future career that combines business and law in a non-profit environment. Maia became a Kiva lender after a three-month trip to Africa, where she witnessed how quickly flat monetary donations were squandered and failed to impact the projects to which they were bestowed. Seeing firsthand that microlending is a powerful and sustainable way to empower people to lift themselves out of poverty, Maia was inspired to delay law school for a year to play an active role in microfinance. Maia views her Kiva Fellowship as an ideal opportunity to combine her knowledge of business, love of traveling, and commitment to improving society through individual empowerment.

Nilaus Hansen | LAPO Sierra Leone (LAPOSL) , Sierra Leone

Management of Innovation & Business, Copenhagen Business School; Economics & Business Administration, Copenhagen Business School

Sierra Leone

Nilaus recently returned from Kenya where he volunteered in the New Canaan IDP camp outside Nakuru. Whilst there, he worked on multiple projects including tree planting, a daycare program for disabled children, a community library as well as advocacy efforts. He is an avid traveler whose journeys has taken him from IDP and refugee camps in Kenya and Ghana to a posting at the Danish embassy in Paris. Nilaus joined the Kiva Fellowship Program in order to gain first hand experience of microfinance as a driver of development.

Vishnu Hariharan | Alalay sa Kaunlaran, Inc. (ASKI) , Philippines

BSc., Economics, London School of Economics & Political Science

Philippines

Born and brought up in Yorkshire, England, Vishnu moved south to attend university in London, graduating in 2006. Having completed internships at financial institutions in the UK and South East Asia, Vishnu is very excited to be returning to the region. Vishnu has a long-standing interest in Asia both from his project work in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia and his family and friends dotted across the continent who he tries to visit every year. Most recently, Vishnu spent three years within the Mergers & Acquisitions department of a European Investment Bank in London working on several projects in Western Europe. In 2009, Vishnu left the city to travel across Europe and the Americas, learning Spanish at a language school in Argentina. Vishnu looks forward to forging new relationships in the Philippines and making a contribution to the field of microfinance in the region. He hopes that the Kiva Fellowship will draw on his skills and experiences and satisfy his deep rooted human concern for others.

Nate Walsh | South Pacific Business Development (SPBD) , Samoa

B.A., International Affairs, Claremont Mckenna College

Samoa

Originally from Denver, Nate has always loved to travel. After 3 years of working as a fixed income sales trader for a bulge bracket investment bank, he is very much looking forward to learning first hand about international development and microfinance. Nate received a B.A. in Political Science from Claremont Mckenna College in 2006 and will pursuing his MBA at Tuck starting this fall. While in Samoa, he plans to learn to appreciate the national sport of Rugby and is very excited to learn about entrepreneurship in the non-profit world.

Roz Piggot | IMON International , Tajikistan / MLO Humo and Partners , Tajikistan / MLF Microinvest, a partner of ACDI/VOCA , Tajikistan

BSc, International Relations, London School of Economics

Tajikistan

Rosalind completed her undergraduate studies at the London School of Economics, where she was awarded a BSc International Relations in 2006. For the past few years, Rosalind has worked in employment taxes consulting at Deloitte in London, UK. Rosalind travelled to Tajikistan last spring, and is looking forward to returning there to work as a Kiva Fellow. After her fellowship, Rosalind plans to pursue a master's degree at SAIS, Johns Hopkins University. In her spare time, Rosalind enjoys learning languages (French and Farsi so far), cooking, and hosting dinner parties.

Nadia Anggraini | Koperasi Mitra Usaha Kecil (MUK) , Indonesia

B.S., Economics, University of Pennsylvania

Indonesia

Nadia Anggraini recently graduated from the University of Pennsylvania with concentrations in Finance and Management. She originally hails from Indonesia, grew up in Singapore, and has spent the past four years in living in Philadelphia. While at school, Nadia was actively involved in the field of social entrepreneurship, having co-founded the Penn Social Entrepreneurship Mentoring Program (PennSEM), an organization that helps students find summer internship/mentorship opportunities at leading social enterprises. She is excited to return to her home country to serve as a Kiva Fellow and learn more about microfinance and social entrepreneurship before starting work as a management consultant in San Francisco. When not struck by the incurable travel bug that takes her to foreign lands with her backpack once every couple of months, Nadia can usually be found outdoors, she enjoys long-distance running and scuba-diving, and has recently picked up longboarding and snowboarding.

Peter Marchant | Aqroinvest Credit Union , Azerbaijan

B.A., Economics, Vanderbilt University

Azerbaijan

After studying economics at Vanderbilt University, Peter worked as an Analyst in the Corporate finance group of the boutique investment bank Cain Brothers & Company, LLC in New York City. At Cain Brothers, he prepared detailed financial models, presentations and marketing materials for healthcare services companies. Prior to working with Cain Brothers, Peter taught sailing and worked in public relations in Ireland, The Bahamas and the UK. He is diligently working on his Azeri in anticipation of his fellowship with AqroInvest.

Kevin Chaissan | Juhudi Kilimo (JK) , Kenya

B.A., in Economics with minors in Global Trade and Communication, Wake Forest University

Kenya

Kevin is a recent graduate of Wake Forest University in North Carolina, where he majored in Economics with a concentration in International Development and Policy. Kevin's passion for development work stems from over one year of independently traveling through sub-Saharan Africa and Southeast Asia in 2007-08. This past summer he was also fortunate to serve as a Global Development Intern in South Africa with ThinkImpact, a Washington, DC based NGO that works on rural community development in South Africa and Kenya. While this internship primarily focused on health and education initiatives, Kevin is eager to now utilize microfinance as a tool to help develop the emerging entrepreneurial class in Kenya. After completing this Fellowship, Kevin will begin an MPhil in Development Studies at the University of Cape Town in February 2011. He hopes this experience with Kiva provides an invaluable introduction to working in microfinance and a starting point to a future career in a related field.

Nishita Roy | Ameen s.a.l. , Lebanon

International Politics/International Relations, Wesleyan University

Lebanon

Nishita first became interested in microfinance after reading Muhammad Yunus' book, Banker to the Poor, when she was in high school. She further developed her interest in microfinance during her undergraduate career at Wesleyan University where she studied International Politics and International Relations. She wrote several research papers on international microfinance organizations, including a semester-long project that analyzed the successes and failures of the microfinance industry in Latin America. Since graduating in 2007, she has spent significant time working to understand the Middle East experience with microfinance and economic development. She has been working with FINCA International since May 2009 to help expand its Middle East operations in Egypt. She also worked with FINCA Jordan to carry out a comprehensive client assessment of 475 clients in Amman and its surrounding areas from August-December, 2009. Nishita will be working with Kiva's Lebanon partners to strengthen relationships with clients as well as take part in a pilot project on social performance. She believes that the Kiva fellowship will add significant value to her long-term career interest in microfinance, as well as her graduate studies in business to begin in fall 2010. She plans to focus on emerging markets and social impact and innovation during her MBA program.

Christina Reyes | Ahon sa Hirap, Inc. (ASHI) , Philippines

MBA, Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth; Economics, University of Pennsylvania

Philippines

Originally from Connecticut, Christina Reyes is honored to contribute to Kiva's mission and expand the reach of microfinance in the Philippines. As an experienced marketing professional, Christina's professional career includes working in brand management on national brands including Horizon Organic, Welch's and Hot Pockets. Leveraging her Kiva experience, Christina hopes to work in the world of social enterprise upon her return. Christina received her BA in Economics from the University of Pennsylvania and MBA from the Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth College. She speaks conversational Spanish and understands basic Tagalog. Christina is truly excited to pay it forward to entrepreneurs in a country so dear to her heart.

Lory Ishii | SEDA , Viet Nam

J.D., Law, University of San Francisco; B.A., Psychology, University of Texas

Vietnam

Raised by Vietnamese immigrant parents who fled to the US with no money or language skills, Lory Nguyen Ishii is no stranger to the transformative results of micro-financing, being the daughter of grocery store owners funded by pools of cash stuffed under her relatives' mattresses. Lory's passion for social justice has manifested itself through working as an anti-human trafficking outreach coordinator, employment rights attorney, and now, as a Kiva Fellow. Lory and her husband, George, are excited to use their strengths to serve in Viet Nam to empower local entrepreneurs from the ground-level.

Taylor Steelman | Turame Community Finance, a partner of World Relief and HOPE International , Burundi

B.A., in International Studies, University of North Carolina

Burundi

Taylor is delighted to return to Burundi as Kiva's first fellow in the country. As an undergraduate, Taylor was a founding member of the national executive committee of STAND: A Student Anti-Genocide Coalition, and led strategic programming for the nationwide activist movement. During her senior year she created and taught an undergraduate course on the crisis in Darfur, completed a thesis on the Darfur peace process and led a lecture series on foreign affairs for 400 students and community members. After graduation, she received a grant to conduct an evaluation of NGO-led conflict management trainings with the reintegrated National Police Force in Burundi. She worked for the past two years supporting country operations with the Millennium Challenge Corporation, a new US government agency taking an innovative approach to international economic development. She plans to start graduate studies in international relations this fall with a focus on conflict analysis, and is looking forward to new adventures with inspiring friends in the meantime.

George Ishii

B.S., in Electrical Engineering, Cal Poly Pomona

Vietnam

George started his career at Adobe Systems as a programmer of Adobe Illustrator and Acrobat. He turned practitioner in the early 2000s, building web applications for Avantgo, which was later acquired by Sybase. George then joined PayPal as one of the first designers responsible for PayPal's intuitive user interface. PayPal went public in 2002 and was acquired by eBay later that year. He is the co-founder of Geni.com, a genealogy-based social networking website, which grew to over 20 million profiles in its first year. He is also the co-founder of Geni's innovative spin-off, Yammer.com, an enterprise communications tool, which won TechCrunch50's Best-in-Show. George is also a strategic consultant, advisor, and Board member of several early-stage internet companies. George's life goals are always pointing toward matching his calling to be a source of hope to the world. He believes that hope comes in the form of real, tangible, and sustainable solutions to social problems and the Kiva Fellows program is perfectly aligned with his goals.

Isaac Iglesias | Hluvuku-Adsema , Mozambique

MSc, Operational Research, London School of Economics and Political Science; MEng, Telecommunications, University of Vigo, Spain; BSc Mathematics, UNED, Spain

Mozambique

Isaac graduated in Telecommunications Engineering in 2005 in his native Spain and during the following year studied an MSc in Operation Research at the London School of Economics. He then pursued a career in the financial services industry in London for four years, at first working for Barclays Plc and then for a market-leading hedge fund. He developed an interest in microfinance through a Kiva Fellow and banking colleague and has now arranged to put this into practise during his 2010 gap period in Mozambique. In July 2010 Isaac will study for an MBA in Shanghai. Isaac has lived previously in four European countries, is fluent in English, Spanish and Galician (a dialect of Portuguese) and can converse in French and German. He intends to apply his financial experience and to perfect his Portuguese during his time in Maputo.

Kati Mayfield | Prisma Honduras, S.A. , Honduras

University of Colorado, Computer Science and Engineering

Honduras

Born and raised in Colorado, Kati was fortunate to be brought up in an outdoorsy, active, traveling family. While studying abroad in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Kati loved integrating herself into the city's language and culture and realized that she preferred seeing new places as a contributing citizen, rather than as a tourist. For the duration of her undergrad she worked in the University of Colorado's Study Abroad office, helping fellow students discover their own international identities; and has been journeying with purpose since graduation. She is eager to continue this journey with Prisma Microfinance in Honduras.

Meg Gray | CEPRODEL , Nicaragua

B.A. History, Bowdoin College

Nick Malouin | FECECAV , Togo

B.A., Economics, Tufts University, Boston

Julie Pachico | Credituyo , Mexico

B.A., Reed College

Suzy P Marinkovich | Fondo Esperanza , Chile

B.A., Spanish and Political Science, University of California, Santa Barbara

Chile

Hanna Azemati | Faulu Kenya , Kenya / Yehu Microfinance Trust , Kenya / Kenya Agency for Development of Enterprise and Technology (KADET), a partner of World Vision International , Kenya

B.A., Economics, Dartmouth College

Kenya

Rachel Brooks | Faulu Kenya , Kenya

B.A., History, University of Washington

Shereef Zaki | Edpyme Alternativa , Peru

B.A., Economics and International Relations, Bucknell University

Nicki Goh | Senegal Ecovillage Microfinance Fund (SEM) , Senegal

B.A. in French and Spanish, Cambridge University, United Kingdom

Taylor Akin | Women and Associations for Gain both Economic and Social (WAGES) , Togo

B.A., McGill University

Togo

Ed Coambs | Negros Women for Tomorrow Foundation, Inc. (NWTF) , Philippines

M.B.A., Finance, Queens University; Business Management, University of Houston Clear Lake

Philippines

Jed Goldstein | Pearl Microfinance Limited , Uganda

B.A., History, Georgetown University

Karl Baumgarten | FUDECOSUR , Costa Rica

M.A. with Honors, Economics, Edinburgh University

Ilmari Soininen | UIMCEC, a partner of ChildFund International , Senegal

Bachelor of Commerce, University of Toronto

Josh Wilcox | Caja Rural Señor de Luren , Peru

B.A., Business Administration (Finance), University of Washington

Dennis Espinoza | Grounded and Holistic Approach for People's Empowerment (GHAPE) , Cameroon

Economics, Wheaton College

Zal Bilimoria | Fundación ESPOIR , Ecuador

B.S., Economics, University of Pennsylvania - The Wharton School

Ecuador

Thomas Gold | Esperanza International Dominican Republic, a partner of HOPE International , Dominican Republic

Engineering degree, CPE (Chemistry Physics and Electronics)

Mary Riedel | Alalay sa Kaunlaran, Inc. (ASKI) , Philippines

B.A., General Business Management, Boston University

Philippines

Victoria Kabak | AFODENIC , Nicaragua

B.A., Social Studies, Harvard University

Sheethal Shobowale | Asociación Arariwa , Peru

M.S., Strategic Communications, Columbia University; Economics-Mathematics, Columbia University

Julia Kastner | Fundacion Realidad A.C (FRAC), a partner of World Vision International , Mexico

B.A. Economics with Political Science and Spanish, McGill University

Alana Solimeo | EDESA , Costa Rica

Political Science & Spanish, Western State College of Colorado

Kimia Raafat | Banco D-MIRO S.A. , Ecuador

B.A., Biology and Spanish, Claremont Mckenna College

Adam Kemmis Betty

M.A., Latin American Studies, Institute for the Study of the Americas (University of London); B.A., History, Cambridge University

Bolivia

Bryan Goldfinger

B.A., Business Administration, Cal Poly - San Luis Obispo

Jane Lim | XacBank , Mongolia

Industrial Engineering and Economics, Northwestern University

Ujwal Kharel | Center for Community Transformation Credit Cooperative (CCT) , Philippines

B.E. (Engineering), Dartmouth College; A.B. (Major: Economics), Vassar College

Adam Preston | Alalay sa Kaunlaran, Inc. (ASKI) , Philippines

International Business, University of St. Thomas; Computer Science, Augustana College

Jen Gong | Youth Self Employment Foundation (YOSEFO) , Tanzania

Business, Economics, University of Virgina

Steph Meyer | LAPO Sierra Leone (LAPOSL) , Sierra Leone

B.A., International Politics and Economics, Middlebury College

Rob Packer | MCC Mol Bulak Finance LLC , Kyrgyzstan

Modern and Medieval Languages, University of Cambridge

Anne Hector | SMEP Deposit Taking Microfinance Limited , Kenya

B.A., American Studies, Brown University; M.B.A., Yale University; B.S., Landscape Architecture, City College of New York

Kenya

Kelly McKinnon | Fundación León 2000 , Nicaragua

International Development, American University

Nicaragua

Alex Duong | TYM Fund , Viet Nam

B.A. Economics & B.A. Law, University of California Berkeley

Rebecca Corey | Tujijenge Tanzania Ltd , Tanzania

B.A., Anthropology, English, University of Georgia

Tanzania

Brian P Kelly | AREGAK Universal Credit Organization , Armenia

B.S., Commerce, Accounting, Santa Clara University

Gemma North | KREDIT Ltd. , Cambodia

B.A., European History, Colorado College

James Han | AMK (Angkor Microfinance Kampuchea) , Cambodia

Communication Studies, University of California, Los Angeles

Gavin Sword | Vision Finance Company s.a. (VFC), a partner of World Vision International , Rwanda

M.B.A., UCLA Anderson School; Economics, Harvard University

Rwanda

Eva Wu | Hagdan sa Pag-uswag Foundation, Inc. (HSPFI) , Philippines

B.A., International Relations, Brown University

Agnes Chu | South Pacific Business Development (SPBD) , Samoa

B.A., Finance and Accounting, University of Texas at Austin

Maia Pelleg | Kenya Agency for Development of Enterprise and Technology (KADET), a partner of World Vision International , Kenya

B.A., Political Science, International Relations, Duke University

Josh Weinstein | Negros Women for Tomorrow Foundation, Inc. (NWTF) , Philippines

Biology, Duke University

Prem Thomas | Center for Community Transformation Credit Cooperative (CCT) , Philippines

B.S., Business Administration, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Jeremy Lapedis | FAPE , Guatemala

B.S., Neuroscience with a minor in Spanish, University of Michigan

Guatemala

Mo Al-shawaf | Palestine for Credit & Development (FATEN) , Palestine

B.S., Walter A. Haas School of Business, UC Berkeley

Nasha Virata | Paglaum Multi-Purpose Cooperative (PMPC) , Philippines

Moyo Adebukunola | Lift Above Poverty Organization (LAPO) , Nigeria

B.S., Accounting, Babcock University, Ilisan-Remo, Ogun State, Nigeria

Milena Arciszewski | Community Economic Ventures, Inc. (CEVI), a partner of VisionFund International , Philippines

Philippines

Ashley Nelsen | ADIM (Asociación Alternativa Para el Desarrollo Integral de las Mujeres) , Nicaragua

Laura Buhler | Vision Finance Company s.a. (VFC), a partner of World Vision International , Rwanda

Suzy P Marinkovich | FINCA Peru , Peru

B.A., Spanish and Political Science, University of California, Santa Barbara

Rob Mittelman | EDAPROSPO , Peru

Andrea Bouch | Opportunity Fund , United States

Boris Mordkovich | MCC Mol Bulak Finance LLC , Kyrgyzstan

Jenny E. Kim | Association for Rural Development (ARD) , Sierra Leone

Cynthia McMurry | Fundación ESPOIR , Ecuador

Drew Loizeaux | Alalay sa Kaunlaran, Inc. (ASKI) , Philippines

B.A. Accounting, St. Michael's College

Megan Montgomery | EDESA , Costa Rica

Sarah Forbes | BRAC Tanzania , Tanzania

Tamara Sanderson | XacBank , Mongolia

Polly Banks | Patan Business and Professional Women , Nepal

Susan Arthur | CEPRODEL , Nicaragua

Nilima Achwal | Fundación AgroCapital, a partner of ACDI/VOCA , Bolivia

Brent Zettel | Fundacion Realidad A.C (FRAC), a partner of World Vision International , Mexico

Alia Rafeh | Kenya Agency for Development of Enterprise and Technology (KADET), a partner of World Vision International , Kenya

John Briggs | Kenya Agency for Development of Enterprise and Technology (KADET), a partner of World Vision International , Kenya

B.A., East Asian Area Studies, University of Wisconsin - Madison

Alison Carlman | K-Met Savings and Credit Cooperative Ltd , Kenya

Cissy DeLuca | Tanaoba Lais Manekat Foundation (TLM) , Indonesia

Joel Carlman | K-Met Savings and Credit Cooperative Ltd , Kenya

Nancy Tuller | Christian Rural Aid Network (CRAN) , Ghana

Jessica Chervin | Microfund Togo , Togo

Ionut Soleanicov | HOPE DRC, a partner of HOPE International , The Democratic Republic of the Congo

Lee Bruner | Asociación Arariwa , Peru

Dave McMurtry

Hanh Tran | Fund for Thanh Hoa Poor Women (FPW), a partner of Save the Children , Viet Nam

Vietnam

Courtney Kemps | Manuela Ramos / CrediMUJER , Peru

Jaclyn Berfond | Faulu Kenya , Kenya

Merrick Brown | Center for Community Transformation Credit Cooperative (CCT) , Philippines

Velizara Passajova | Nor Horizon Universal Credit Organization Limited Liability Company , Armenia

Armenia

Cameron Morris | Hluvuku-Adsema , Mozambique

Sloane Berrent | Ahon sa Hirap, Inc. (ASHI) , Philippines

Michael Kasseris | SEDA , Viet Nam

Zev Lowe | Koperasi Mitra Usaha Kecil (MUK) , Indonesia

Athan Makansi | South Pacific Business Development (SPBD) , Samoa

Andrew Whiteman | Alidé , Benin

Milena Arciszewski | K-Met Savings and Credit Cooperative Ltd , Kenya

Kalie Gold | Esperanza International Dominican Republic, a partner of HOPE International , Dominican Republic

Cory Lee | Pearl Microfinance Limited , Uganda

Ashley Nelsen | Esperanza International Dominican Republic, a partner of HOPE International , Dominican Republic

Evie Marzec | Paglaum Multi-Purpose Cooperative (PMPC) , Philippines

Liz O'Donnell | CAURIE Microfinance, a partner of Catholic Relief Services , Senegal

Andrea Bouch | FAPE , Guatemala

Nemr Janus Kanafani | Ameen s.a.l. , Lebanon

Boris Mordkovich | MLO Humo and Partners , Tajikistan

Samuel Baker | Apoyo Integral , El Salvador

Sean Calhoun | Fundación León 2000 , Nicaragua

Kristan Callahan | Grounded and Holistic Approach for People's Empowerment (GHAPE) , Cameroon

Cynthia McMurry | Asociación Arariwa , Peru

Drew Loizeaux | Hattha Kaksekar Limited (HKL), a partner of Save the Children , Cambodia

B.A. Accounting, St. Michael's College

Nathan Cutler | SEDA , Viet Nam

Ashley King-Bischof | Grounded and Holistic Approach for People's Empowerment (GHAPE) , Cameroon

Megan Montgomery | ADEPHCA , Nicaragua

Abby Gray | UIMCEC, a partner of ChildFund International , Senegal

Sarah Forbes | BRAC Tanzania , Tanzania

Jeff Zira | KREDIT Ltd. , Cambodia

Teresa Dunbar | Alalay sa Kaunlaran, Inc. (ASKI) , Philippines

Nick Roose | Koperasi Mitra Usaha Kecil (MUK) , Indonesia

Sierra Visher | Emprender , Bolivia

Stephanie Koczela | Pearl Microfinance Limited , Uganda

Brent Zettel | AFODENIC , Nicaragua

Julie Picquet | MAXIMA Mikroheranhvatho Co., Ltd. , Cambodia

John Briggs | Ahon sa Hirap, Inc. (ASHI) , Philippines

B.A., East Asian Area Studies, University of Wisconsin - Madison

Mark Bulliet | XacBank , Mongolia

Rob Cavese | Community Economic Ventures, Inc. (CEVI), a partner of VisionFund International , Philippines

Erica Dorn | ACCION USA , United States

Emily Sweeney | Manuela Ramos / CrediMUJER , Peru

Nick Cain | Fundación Paraguaya , Paraguay

Lori Gibson Banducci | Asociación ASDIR , Guatemala

Bernice Wong | Fund for Thanh Hoa Poor Women (FPW), a partner of Save the Children , Viet Nam

Brett Dobbs | K-Met Savings and Credit Cooperative Ltd , Kenya

Diana Rodriguez | Manuela Ramos / CrediMUJER , Peru

Katie Davis | AMK (Angkor Microfinance Kampuchea) , Cambodia

Jessica Chervin | Soro Yiriwaso, a partner of Save the Children , Mali

Kieran Ball | Tanaoba Lais Manekat Foundation (TLM) , Indonesia

Shisir Khanal | Patan Business and Professional Women , Nepal

Julie Ross | Vision Finance Company s.a. (VFC), a partner of World Vision International , Rwanda

Rwanda

Milena Arciszewski | Zene za Zene, a partner of Women for Women International , Bosnia and Herzegovina

Kalie Gold | Esperanza International Dominican Republic, a partner of HOPE International , Dominican Republic

Josh Bull | Microfinanzas Prisma , Peru

落合加奈恵 Ochiai | Hattha Kaksekar Limited (HKL), a partner of Save the Children , Cambodia

Trisha Chang | Sero Lease and Finance Ltd. (SELFINA) , Tanzania

David Stewart | Opportunity International- Wedco Ltd. , Kenya

Sanjaya Punyasena | Hattha Kaksekar Limited (HKL), a partner of Save the Children , Cambodia

Adam Grenier | Salone Microfinance Trust (SMT), a partner of ChildFund International , Sierra Leone

Jennifer McQuhae | Grounded and Holistic Approach for People's Empowerment (GHAPE) , Cameroon

James MacKenzie | Fund for Thanh Hoa Poor Women (FPW), a partner of Save the Children , Viet Nam

Lori Ospina | Microfinanzas Prisma , Peru

Abby Gray | Women and Associations for Gain both Economic and Social (WAGES) , Togo

Sarah Forbes | K-Met Savings and Credit Cooperative Ltd , Kenya

Teresa Dunbar | KREDIT Ltd. , Cambodia

Lander Burr | Koperasi Mitra Usaha Kecil (MUK) , Indonesia

Sarah Lawson | Alidé , Benin

Sierra Visher | Prisma Honduras, S.A. , Honduras

Ankush Dhupar | BRAC South Sudan , South Sudan

Carrie Ferrence | IMON International , Tajikistan

Megan McTiernan | Admic Nacional , Mexico

Jenny Ballen | Manuela Ramos / CrediMUJER , Peru

("ev-ya-TAR") Frankel | South Pacific Business Development (SPBD) , Samoa

Whitney Zimmerman | CEPRODEL , Nicaragua

John Briggs | MAXIMA Mikroheranhvatho Co., Ltd. , Cambodia

B.A., East Asian Area Studies, University of Wisconsin - Madison

Mark Bulliet | Norwegian Microcredit LLC (Normicro) , Azerbaijan

Rob Cavese | MLF Microinvest, a partner of ACDI/VOCA , Tajikistan

Jeremy Haber | BRAC Tanzania , Tanzania

Bill Brick | Pearl Microfinance Limited , Uganda

Kieran Ball | AMK (Angkor Microfinance Kampuchea) , Cambodia

Julie Ross | Vision Finance Company s.a. (VFC), a partner of World Vision International , Rwanda

Rwanda

Zack Turner | Opportunity International- Wedco Ltd. , Kenya

Yuan Potts | Grounded and Holistic Approach for People's Empowerment (GHAPE) , Cameroon

Cara Gutterman | Fundación Paraguaya , Paraguay

Lucy Foma | Grounded and Holistic Approach for People's Empowerment (GHAPE) , Cameroon

Xanthi Kouvatas | SEDA , Viet Nam

Nicholas Sabin | Salone Microfinance Trust (SMT), a partner of ChildFund International , Sierra Leone

Brendan McBride | Credituyo , Mexico

Mark Disston | MAXIMA Mikroheranhvatho Co., Ltd. , Cambodia

Chantal deKleijn | Friendship Bridge , Guatemala

Taryn Goodman | Micro Credit for Development and Transformation SACCO (MCDT SACCO) , Uganda

Jonathon Repinecz | Senegal Ecovillage Microfinance Fund (SEM) , Senegal

Cynthia McMurry | Fundación AgroCapital, a partner of ACDI/VOCA , Bolivia

Saboora Bhutta | Asasah, a partner of Save the Children , Pakistan

Omeed Selbe | Hattha Kaksekar Limited (HKL), a partner of Save the Children , Cambodia

Nora Moran | Zene za Zene, a partner of Women for Women International , Bosnia and Herzegovina

Bosnia and Herzegovina

Amy Killian | MAXIMA Mikroheranhvatho Co., Ltd. , Cambodia

Cambodia

Gary Coover | Koperasi Mitra Usaha Kecil (MUK) , Indonesia

Javed Rezayee | Ariana Financial Services Joint Stock Company (AFS), a partner of Mercy Corps , Afghanistan

Megan Montgomery | FAPE , Guatemala

Dan Zuckerman | MLF Microinvest, a partner of ACDI/VOCA , Tajikistan

Chris Baker | Patan Business and Professional Women , Nepal

B.A. Anthropology, Yale University

Sarah Allen | Christian Rural Aid Network (CRAN) , Ghana

Jessica Heinzelman | Lift Above Poverty Organization (LAPO) , Nigeria

Tatiana Peralta | Alternativa Solidaria Chiapas (AlSol) , Mexico

Nabomita Dutta | Sero Lease and Finance Ltd. (SELFINA) , Tanzania

Kathy Lin | Vision Finance Company s.a. (VFC), a partner of World Vision International , Rwanda

Jara Small | Tujijenge Tanzania Ltd , Tanzania

JJ Emru | Al Majmoua Lebanese Association for Development , Lebanon

Julie Ross | BRAC Tanzania , Tanzania

Nicholas Clark | South Pacific Business Development (SPBD) , Samoa

Dan Strack | Christian Rural Aid Network (CRAN) , Ghana

Megan Berwick | Women and Associations for Gain both Economic and Social (WAGES) , Togo

Mark Janko | AMK (Angkor Microfinance Kampuchea) , Cambodia

Laura Toepfer | Micro Credit for Development and Transformation SACCO (MCDT SACCO) , Uganda

Jonathan Buser | Aqroinvest Credit Union , Azerbaijan

Dylan Higgins | Sinapi Aba Trust (SAT) , Ghana

Ai Li Ang | Norwegian Microcredit LLC (Normicro) , Azerbaijan

Mary Moseley | CAURIE Microfinance, a partner of Catholic Relief Services , Senegal

Beatriz Mauro | Hluvuku-Adsema , Mozambique

Isadora Tang | KREDIT Ltd. , Cambodia

Alec Lovett | Youth Self Employment Foundation (YOSEFO) , Tanzania

Eric Brandt | Hattha Kaksekar Limited (HKL), a partner of Save the Children , Cambodia

Elena Micossi | AMK (Angkor Microfinance Kampuchea) , Cambodia

Jessica Young | MAXIMA Mikroheranhvatho Co., Ltd. , Cambodia

Jon Tonti | AFODENIC , Nicaragua

Kira Costanza | FECECAV , Togo

Chris Federer | Manuela Ramos / CrediMUJER , Peru

Roslyn Wang | Sinapi Aba Trust (SAT) , Ghana

Drew Kinder | Share an Opportunity Microfinance Ltd. (SAO MFI) , Uganda

Maren Misner | Friendship Bridge , Guatemala

Jordyan Edmiston | KREDIT Ltd. , Cambodia

Lyz Li | MIFEX , Ecuador

Charline Yim | Fundo De Desenvolvimento Mulher (FDM), a partner of Save the Children , Mozambique

Oliver Subasinghe | Women`s Economic Empowerment Consort (WEEC) , Kenya

Alexander Pileggi | Fundación San Miguel Arcángel, Inc. (FSMA) , Dominican Republic

Dana Lunberry | BRAC Tanzania , Tanzania

Darin Greyerbiehl | MAXIMA Mikroheranhvatho Co., Ltd. , Cambodia

Tami Rowan | MAXIMA Mikroheranhvatho Co., Ltd. , Cambodia

Pontus Pettersson

Tanuj Parikh | Ebony Foundation (Eb-F) , Kenya

Shannon Gallagher | Hluvuku-Adsema , Mozambique

Stephen Mulholland | Women`s Economic Empowerment Consort (WEEC) , Kenya

Charlotte Bailey | KREDIT Ltd. , Cambodia

Elizabeth Vallette | Norwegian Microcredit LLC (Normicro) , Azerbaijan

Roxanne Miller | Youth Self Employment Foundation (YOSEFO) , Tanzania

Dalia Palchik | Microfund Togo , Togo

Alan McGee | Supporting Enterprises for Economic Development (SEED Development Group) , Kenya

Andrew Flowers | Lift Above Poverty Organization (LAPO) , Nigeria

Felix Lam | Mekong Plus , Viet Nam

Justine McGowan | K-Met Savings and Credit Cooperative Ltd , Kenya

Max Schoening | People Microcredit Investment Bureau (PEMCI) , Kenya

Daniela Greville | Prisma Microfinance , Nicaragua

Maura Lee Burk | Life in Africa Foundation (LiA) , Kenya

Randy Fay | Friendship Bridge , Guatemala

Kerry Brandon | Action Now: Kenya (ANK) , Kenya

Nicholas Easley | Women`s Economic Empowerment Consort (WEEC) , Kenya

Katie Camillus | Life in Africa Foundation (LiA) , Kenya

Ted Fischer | Patan Business and Professional Women , Nepal

Shelby Clark | Women's Initiative to Eradicate Poverty (WITEP) , Uganda

Uganda

Meet the Fellows

Kiva Fellows 17th Class

Kiva Fellows 16th Class

Kiva Fellows 15th Class

Kiva Fellows 14th Class

Kiva Fellows 13th Class

Kiva Fellows 12th Class

Kiva Fellows 11th Class

Kiva Fellows 10th Class

Kiva Fellows 9th Class

Kiva Fellows 8th Class

Kiva Fellows 7th Class

Kiva Fellows 6th Class

Kiva Fellows 5th Class

Kiva Fellows 4th Class

Kiva Fellows 3rd Class

Kiva Fellows 2nd Class

Kiva Fellows 1st Class