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Kiva Fellow Zal

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Location:
San Francisco CA United States
Occupation:
Kiva Fellow Alum
I loan because:
As Albert Schweitzer says, "Wherever a man [or woman] turns, he can find someone who needs him."
Check out:
http://fellowsblog.kiva.org/
Member Since:
Nov 30, 2008
Bio:
Zal is a Product Manager at YouTube and has held similar roles at Google and Microsoft since graduating in 2004. Originally from Munster, Indiana (just outside Chicago), he studied at the University of Pennsylvania's Wharton School, obtaining a Bachelor's degree in Economics. While in college, he spent a summer abroad in Alicante, Spain and a semester abroad in Shanghai, China learning Mandarin. His senior thesis discussed the ethical factors influencing the flows of foreign direct investment into India and China. While at Google/YouTube, Zal developed and launched various rich media advertising products primarily for Fortune 500 brand advertisers. He also spent time in Brazil working to minimize Windows anti-piracy for Microsoft. An avid international traveler, Zal understands that his entrepreneurial ambitions will require exposure to all types of dynamic environments including countries, languages, individuals and situations. Zal speaks Spanish, Mandarin Chinese and Gujarati and is eager to return to South America, this time exploring the Andean region of the continent.
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Zal's Kiva Fellowships

What is a Kiva Fellowship?
Member of Kiva Fellows Class KF9

Fellow at Fundación ESPOIR

Ecuador

Oct 7, 2009 to Dec 27, 2009

Updates From The Field

Global Slowdown: Ecuador
Dec 3, 2009
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By Zal Bilimoria, KF9, Ecuador Ecuador’s 14.5 million residents and their predecessors have experienced much instability in the form of economic strain, political transitions and social unrest. Despite [...]
Funky Cheese
Nov 16, 2009
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By Zal Bilimoria, KF9, Ecuador Ecuadorian cheese tastes a bit different if one is not accustomed to eating it. Cheese is not necessarily the most common ingredient in local fare, as the staple for most meals [...]
Cuenca-stic Times!
Nov 7, 2009
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By Zal Bilimoria, KF9, Ecuador Over the past four weeks here in Ecuador, I’ve had the opportunity to see much of the country, starting out in Quito working at Fundacion ESPOIR’s administrative [...]
The Cable Broke
Oct 14, 2009
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By Zal Bilimoria, KF9 Ecuador Let me start off by saying that I think everything will be fine.  Everyone is safe – no injuries but a few terrified souls.  I wish I had brought my camera with me, but we [...]
Ecuador Bound!
Sep 23, 2009
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By Zal, KF9 Ecuador Good day, folks.  My name is Zal, and this Friday, September 25, I’ll officially be anointed a Kiva Fellow for the KF9 Class bound for Ecuador working with Fundacion ESPOIR !  [...]

Entrepreneurs Zal Has Visited

Update for El Valle (Cuenca) Group
Dec 18, 2009
We met Maria at her community bank meeting up in the mountains south of Cuenca. Maria and her entire family are doing well, health-wise, but she has had some recent problems with her business. Her cuys (\"guinea [...]
Update for Humbertina De Jesus
Dec 16, 2009
We met Humbertina at her community bank meeting here at the Cuenca office of Fundacion ESPOIR, which is currently going through a re-branding effort to \"Mi Bankito\" since \"Espoir\" is difficult to pronounce [...]
Update for Ana Yolanda
Dec 16, 2009
We met Ana at her community bank meeting here at the Cuenca office for Fundacion Espoir, which is currently undergoing a re-branding initiative to the new name of \"Mi Bankito\", as \"Espoir\" is difficult to [...]
Update for Maria Delfina
Dec 16, 2009
We met Maria at her community bank meeting here at the Cuenca office of Fundacion Espoir, which is currently going through a re-branding effort to \"Mi Bankito\" as \"Espoir\" is difficult to pronounce among [...]
Update for Maria Rosa Marina
Dec 16, 2009
We met Maria at her community bank meeting in Cumbe, up in the mountains south of Cuenca. We actually visited her before and were treated to a full lunch with great soup, mote (corn), cuy (\"guinea pig\" -- it [...]

Zal's Loans

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17 loans

  

Zal's Teams

Zal's Invites

14 accepted invitations

Portfolio Distribution

  • By Gender
  • By Country
  • By Sector
  • By Partner

Gender

Distribution By Gender
Gender %
Female70.59%
Male29.41%

Country

Distribution By Country
Country %
Ecuador41.18%
Peru35.29%
Pakistan5.88%
Nicaragua5.88%
Bolivia5.88%
Dominican Republic5.88%

Sector

Distribution By Sector
Sector %
Retail29.41%
Food17.65%
Services17.65%
Agriculture17.65%
Clothing5.88%
Transportation5.88%
Construction5.88%

Partner

Distribution By Field Partner
Field Partner %
Fundación ESPOIR41.18%
Caja Rural Señor De Luren11.76%
Microfinanzas Prisma11.76%
Fundación AgroCapital, A Partner Of ACDI/VOCA5.88%
Esperanza International Dominican Republic, A Partner Of HOPE International5.88%
Edpyme Alternativa5.88%
Asasah, A Partner Of Save The Children5.88%
EDAPROSPO5.88%
AFODENIC5.88%