In law school, bankruptcy class taught me one thing most clearly: loans targeted at low income borrowers are horrifying. Domestically, payday loans, check cashing services, auto title loans, etc. have the highest interest rates (sometimes well over 1000% APR), and do much more harm than good. Internationally, it's the same--if credit is even available at all. But the men and women on Kiva.org are not looking for *consumer* loans, they're looking for *capital* loans. That makes all the difference. The interest rates they would normally face don't reflect the decreased risk they pose to a lender.
I want to people to see that globalization is not a bad thing, and that commerce and free trade can and DO really help people. To put it simply:
The ONLY effective means of achieving peace and prosperity in the world is the interconnection of financial interests across borders. Period.
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