Kiva Loans

Komla Kalepe Togbo : Togo

Fri, 20 Nov 2009 15:20:15 PST

$875 of $1,200 raised.

Started raising funds on Nov 20, 2009

Mr. Komla Kalepe TOGBO is a farmer who was born in 1959 in Gamégblé. He is married and the father of six children. Only through farming, mainly cassava, does he derive the revenues enabling him to send his children to school and to cope with family expenses. After several years of work, his arable land is becoming depleted thus reducing his yields considerably. To remedy the situation, he's requesting financing to buy manure and to expand his plantation through plowing. This will increase his yields and his revenues.

Translated from French by Dan Kuey, Kiva Volunteer

Cristina : United States

Fri, 20 Nov 2009 14:40:20 PST

$625 of $10,000 raised.

Started raising funds on Nov 20, 2009

Cristina started her day care business 6 years ago after working at an electronics factory in Fremont for eighteen years. When she suddenly lost her job, she decided to take early-education classes to prepare her for opening a daycare. Cristina started her daycare business in her living room with a few toys and two children. She now takes care of fourteen children and works hard to stay up-to-date on child care information by regularly attending training. She is thankful that despite the economy, parents are still able to keep their children in her daycare. Cristina needs $10,000 to replace uneven cement in her outdoor play area to make it safer for the children in her care. She also wants to replace the fence in her backyard. A loan from Opportunity Fund will allow her to do this without placing a burden on her family’s personal finances. Cristina has been unable to get a loan from a bank in the past and finds it a stressful process. This will be her second loan from Opportunity Fund, and she finds the support of micro-lending services almost too good to be true.

Melik Hayrapetyan : Armenia

Fri, 20 Nov 2009 12:20:15 PST

$475 of $2,850 raised.

Started raising funds on Nov 20, 2009

Melik Hayrapetyan is 60 and lives in Kaghnut village in the Kapan area. He is married and has three sons. His wife works at a chemist's shop (pharmacy) as a pharmaceutist. All of Melik’s sons are employees and one of them lives in a separate house with his family. Melik works as a brigade-leader in an organization where he repairs factory equipment. At the same time, he has land where he grows grain. During sowing and harvest time, working hours last about twelve hours a day. Also, because he hasn’t got his own agricultural equipment, he has to wait till the other farmers’ equipment is free in order to rent it. So, Melik needs a 1,100,000 AMD loan to buy a plough and separator to cut down his expenses and to use his time more rationally.

Mrs. Kimleng Kong Village Bank Group : Cambodia

Mon, 16 Nov 2009 17:00:24 PST

$2,175 of $2,850 raised.

Started raising funds on Nov 16, 2009

This village bank loan consists of seventeen people and they all live in Troeuy Troeng village in Kandal province. Mrs. Kimleng Kong is the village bank president who has been selected by the members. Mrs. Kimleng Kong sells rice with food to earn an income. Her husband, Mr. Heng Vichet, is a pig breeder. Since his pig-breeding business is going well, he wants to expand it but he does not have enough money to support his business. Thus, Mrs. Kimleng Kong decided to ask for a loan to buy some more piglets to raise. She hopes to increase their income and improve the family’s standard of living with this loan. Mrs. Kimleng Kong is 23 years old and the mother of a child who is too young to work or study.

Elus Plus Group : The Democratic Republic of the Congo

Thu, 19 Nov 2009 12:10:16 PST

$2,725 of $3,050 raised.

Started raising funds on Nov 19, 2009

Simon Lundikila is the president of the community bank named "Elus Plus" which is composed of 24 micro-entrepreneurs who decided in solidarity to take out micro-loans from the micro-finance institution HOPE RDC and from Kiva with the aim of making their small businesses prosper. Simon Lundikila, aged 34, has a business selling electrical goods at the market located southwest of the city of Kinshasa. He started operating this small-scale business in 1997 and has acquired solid experience in it. He sells in the open air. With the aid of loans, he is currently seeking to sell inland, so as to avoid bad weather. Right now, his business generates a profit of $380 per month for him. The next loan will enable him to buy a few electrical items to resell for bolstering his business. His ambition is to open a hardware store in his area. Simon is separated and the father of five children, ranging from 3 to 14 years of age. Four of them are in school.

Translated from French by Dan Kuey, Kiva Volunteer

Los Narditos Group : Bolivia

Sat, 31 Oct 2009 00:10:13 PDT

$975 of $1,875 raised.

Started raising funds on Oct 31, 2009

Sonia : Peru

Fri, 20 Nov 2009 16:30:13 PST

$125 of $1,050 raised.

Started raising funds on Nov 20, 2009

Sonia is 33 years old, married, and lives in her own house with her 4 children. For 14 years she has sold groceries and basic items. This business originated through the initiative of her husband, and ever since she no longer works in agriculture because she spends all of her time attending to the store each day from 6 in the morning until 10 at night. Over time she managed to capture and retain customers, treating them amicably and filling all of their orders on time and in this way becoming the most popular store in the town. Her goal is to supply her store with food items, candy and soft drinks; to do this she will go with her husband on Sundays to make purchases in the city. This is her third loan with MFP, and during all of this time she has not had any difficulties making her payments. With this loan she promises to continue with the same responsibility. The money that she requests will be invested in increasing the inventory of her business, and she will also buy chemical fertilizers for her husband's coffee crops.

Translated from Spanish by Lisa Grobar, Kiva Volunteer

Marcelina : Peru

Fri, 20 Nov 2009 17:10:14 PST

$225 of $425 raised.

Started raising funds on Nov 20, 2009

Marcelina, 34, lives with her husband and three children in her own home. Laboriously and with much agility she farms her coffee and banana plantations so that she can have time to also work as a paid laborer on her neighbors' farmlands. For this work she is paid 13 soles a day (her husband earns 15 soles a day). If they are hired to do weed removal she gets up at 4am, prepares the daily meals and must be on the farmlands at 8am. As heavy as the work might seem, Marcelina does not find it tiring, what is more...she loves what she does. This allows her to obtain money which she can spend independently on 'the needs of her children and her aged mother. Her dreams for the future are to enlarge her plantings to improve her family's quality of life. This is her third loan with MFP and she pledges to repay on time. The funds will be used to buy chemical fertilizers for her crops.

Translated from Spanish by Michael Bujazan, Kiva Volunteer

Ana Alicia Murillo Sevilla : Nicaragua

Fri, 20 Nov 2009 16:10:15 PST

$175 of $825 raised.

Started raising funds on Nov 20, 2009

Ana Alicia, 41, is single and the mother of two children. Her eldest is 18 and is a second-year university student and the younger, a 17-year-old, is a special needs child because when he was a baby he got meningitis and this left him with developmental problems; in addition he is asthmatic. She has worked for the last 11 years as an adminstrator at ASOCIECAD, an organization that provides services to persons with special needs (both children and adults) whose offices are in the Juigalpa Special School. She is requesting her 5th loan to build a porch onto her house, which was built through a project sponsored by CARITAS, because she is still renting because she needs to upgrade her house to accommodate her son's special needs so that he will be in a comfortable environment. She states that thanks to AFODENIC she has been able to buy home appliances and has been buying metal gates to secure her house. She is hoping now to be a beneficiary of a Kiva Fund grant to improve her house. She dreams with having a spacious house so her family can live in comfort and, God willing, be able to request another loan to help her reach this goal.

Translated from Spanish by Michael Bujazan, Kiva Volunteer

Rafiatou Monlade : Benin

Fri, 20 Nov 2009 16:30:13 PST

$150 of $450 raised.

Started raising funds on Nov 20, 2009

MONLADE Rafiatou was born in 1966 in Sakété in Benin. She is married to RIKPOSSOU T. Jonas, a mechanic and retailer of spare parts. She has two children to support. One of them is her own and in school. For six years, she has been living with her children in the Cococodji district, not far from Cotonou, the economic capital of Benin. Rafiatou and Jonas support the family jointly. Rafiatou has never been to school. For five years, she has been selling cookies (wholesale and retail) and also apples out of her home and at the Cococodji parking lot. She stocks up from Dantokpa, the international market of Benin, from Nigeria, and from Togo (two countries neighboring Benin). She is a previous ALIDé client who has benefited from three ALIDé loans, which have been repaid. She would really like to grow her business more and to build a stall to sell her goods. These are the reasons why she's requesting another loan from ALIDé.

Translated from French by Dan Kuey, Kiva Volunteer

Akpéné Boutamekpo : Togo

Fri, 20 Nov 2009 16:30:13 PST

$150 of $925 raised.

Started raising funds on Nov 20, 2009

Born on April 25, 1982 in Gamé Séva in Zio prefecture, in southern Togo, Ms. Akpéné BOUTAMEKPO is a married mother with a family. She is an energetic woman who has an agricultural business, mainly growing peanuts. She herself processes and stores her harvests for market. With the revenues derived from this farm work, she manages to meet family expenses. Her arable land is very poor at present. Unfortunately, she lacks sufficient financial means. This is why she's requesting a loan to buy manure and other farm supplies. This will enable her to increase her yields and her farm revenues.

Translated from French by Dan Kuey, Kiva Volunteer

Ivo : Peru

Fri, 20 Nov 2009 16:50:14 PST

$125 of $350 raised.

Started raising funds on Nov 20, 2009

Ivo is a very responsible 44-year old man who is married to the mother of his 3 children. For 24 years he has grown coffee and bananas on his own fields, and during this time his crops have been very profitable, allowing him to provide the necessities of life for his children. He works from 8 in the morning until 6 in the evening, always in the company of his wife, but when he harvests the bananas he generally gets up at dawn, since at 6 in the morning his buyer comes to collect the products from his farm. He carries out this work one time per week, and sells about 1500 kilos of bananas. For the coffee harvest his sons join in the picking, because Ivo and his wife take the harvested product to the buyers in the city, and for this reason they need extra hands for the harvest. This is his first loan with MFP, and he is committed to making all of his payments on time. Also, he pledges to properly lead his communal bank, because he has been elected president by the board. With the money he requests he will buy chemical fertilizers to fertilize his crops.

Translated from Spanish by Lisa Grobar, Kiva Volunteer

Digna : Peru

Fri, 20 Nov 2009 16:40:14 PST

$100 of $350 raised.

Started raising funds on Nov 20, 2009

Digna is a calm, 39-year-old, married mother of two children. The family lives in their own house. For the past 6 years she has sold basic food items and her store is the busiest in the lower part of town. Every day, before opening up for business, she cleans and arranges her counters. This dynamism helped her capture customers and accumulate profits that have allowed her to stock her store with groceries, vegetables, field tools like machetes and axes. But what she does not have available is first-aid medicines and many of her neighbors must go into the city when they are suffering some minor ailment. This is why Digna is motivated to stock basic medicines but she wants to be trained in their proper use first so that she can provide good service to her customers. This is her first loan with MFP and she pledges to repay on time because this loan will allow her to progress. With the funds she plans to buy the necessary basic medicines and a proper display case for them.

Translated from Spanish by Michael Bujazan, Kiva Volunteer

Evelyn Akoua Darkwah : Togo

Fri, 20 Nov 2009 13:10:17 PST

$575 of $1,150 raised.

Started raising funds on Nov 20, 2009

This woman started a business in 1999 selling general food products. She began this business in 1999 and opened a store in her home. Her stock is depleted and she is unable to satisfy all of her customers. To keep from losing customers, she needs to resupply herself, which is why she is seeking a loan through WAGES (one of Kiva's field partners) to buy 20 medium-size bags of rice, 25 cans of tomatoes, 8 drums of palm oil, and various other general food products.

Translated from French by Vilas Menon, Kiva Volunteer

Celia Argentina Saballos Cruz : Nicaragua

Fri, 20 Nov 2009 16:30:13 PST

$75 of $400 raised.

Started raising funds on Nov 20, 2009

Celia Argentina Saballos, 51, has been a beautician for the past 20 years. She goes door-to-door to attend to her customers. The greatest difficulty she has is that, despite working the entire day, she still does not have enough funds to be able to finish building her house. With the funds requested, she plans to buy building materials like sand and cement because, if she manages to finish it, her plan is to set up her beauty salon in her house so that she can be more watchful of her children because, presently, when she goes out to work she has to hire someone to look after her four children. Cecilia is a single mother and the little help she gets comes from her two oldest sons who work and study.

Translated from Spanish by Michael Bujazan, Kiva Volunteer

Chan Thy : Cambodia

Fri, 20 Nov 2009 08:10:16 PST

$250 of $700 raised.

Started raising funds on Nov 20, 2009

Chan Thy is 41 years of age and is a married woman. Her husband works as a fisherman, and he appears in the photo. This couple has been married for years and they have two teenage children who work sewing clothes for industry. In order to support the needs of her family, Chan Thy sells a small grocery inventory out of her home. She has been in this business for three years and is earning approximately $2.50 per day. Chan Thy finds it hard traveling to work or anywhere else because she doesn't own a vehicle. She is therefore applying for a loan to buy a used motorbike for her family's riding needs.

Boturjon Nazarov : Tajikistan

Wed, 18 Nov 2009 22:20:13 PST

$850 of $1,000 raised.

Started raising funds on Nov 18, 2009

Boturjon is 36 years old. He is married and has two independent children. Boturjon is a farmer. He has been working in agriculture for 4 years and has gained much experience and a love for the land. He began cultivating his land through his own efforts and has gradually gotten ahead in life. He has been producing such crops as wheat, onion, potatoes. Each year he has produced a yield sufficient for the family consumption and for selling. Farming is the family's main source of income. To generate a stable income, the business requires considerable funding. Boturjon is asking for a loan of $1000 USD. He would like to use this loan to buy supplies for the harvest and to improve production and thus increase the quality of his yield along with his earnings. Boturjon and his family are counting on your help. He thanks all who support him and promises to repay the loan in time. More about Tajikistan and IMON International Tajikistan is known for its rich history, which includes a key post along the Silk Road and the end of Alexander the Great's rule. It has also produced great thinkers, philosophers, scientists and poets, including Rudaki, Avicenna, Ferdowsi, Omar Khayyam, Jomi, and Rumi. The country is home to communities that still speak the ancient Sogdian language, epic mountain passes, and a civilization that dates back to the 4th millennium BC. Even today, it is a complex mixture of the Islamic faith, Soviet culture, New West culture and Central Asian traditions. But Tajikistan is also the poorest of the former Soviet republics. The civil war, which ignited soon after its independence from the U.S.S.R., further damaged the already weak economy. In addition, 93% of the country is mountainous and only 7% of the land is arable. These conditions have resulted in high levels of unemployment and have forced hundreds of thousands to seek work in other countries, mainly Russia. While the people of Tajikistan are working to improve its agricultural production and manufacturing sector, nearly two-thirds of the population still live in abject poverty. IMON's History Since December 2007, IMON International has worked closely with Kiva and Kiva lenders to ensure that poor and low-income clients represent a viable business proposition. Funds raised through Kiva have already been distributed to thousands of IMON International's clients and will continue to provide thousands more with permanent access to the varied financial services they need. To learn more about IMON International's work, please visit: www.imon.tj

C2880 Amizero Group : Rwanda

Thu, 19 Nov 2009 14:00:19 PST

$550 of $725 raised.

Started raising funds on Nov 19, 2009

Jeanne is 36 years old, married with 3 children. Jeanne has been a proven entrepreneur for many years and now she is the president of a group called “AMIZERO” This is the second successful year of this group which works in the decoration business. Work starts at 6 AM and lasts until 6 PM every day for AMIZERO.

This group is requesting its first loan from Kiva lenders via Vision Finance Company for the purpose of expanding their decoration business, which they hope will attract many customers as well as making dditional profit. This profit will allow them and their devoted spouses to buy a house they have long dreamed of owning; it will also allow them to continue paying school fees and provide more and better food for their families and build a secure future for them.

Alihuseyn Bayramov : Azerbaijan

Thu, 05 Nov 2009 11:00:18 PST

$1,975 of $2,500 raised.

Started raising funds on Nov 5, 2009

Alihuseyn lives in Baku city. He was born in 1987 and is single. Alihuseyn not only has a business selling computers, but he also repairs them. He has been in this business for two years. Now he is requesting a loan of 2000 AZN to improve his business.

Yris : Peru

Fri, 20 Nov 2009 16:00:13 PST

$150 of $175 raised.

Started raising funds on Nov 20, 2009

Yris is 43 years old and lives in her own house along with her husband Manuel, who is a 44-year old salesman, and their three children: Maria (18), Carla (14) and Eduardo (7). They have a jewelry business; she makes the jewelry in their home, thanks to her knowledge of jewelry-making. Yris makes pretty models which are distributed through orders, but currently she is working on some beautiful Christmas bonsai trees, which are often requested during this time of year as we are getting closer to Christmas. Yris likes her job very much, because she can express all of her creativity and create pretty pieces of jewelry and designs to satisfy the demands of her customers. This is her first loan with MFP, and she pledges to be on time with all of her payments. With the money that she is requesting she will buy a large quantity of beads, wires and other materials in order to make up all of her orders for these Christmas decorations.

Translated from Spanish by Lisa Grobar, Kiva Volunteer

El Carmen Group : Bolivia

Thu, 19 Nov 2009 00:10:15 PST

$1,500 of $1,725 raised.

Started raising funds on Nov 19, 2009

The group “El Carmen” is represented by Erika and made up of 13 members who carry out different activities such as selling cosmetics by catalogue, mobile phone cards, photocopying, making and selling rice bread, selling clothes, shoes and firewood and assisting customers in a beauty salon. The competition is very high in their field of work, which is why the group´s members acknowledge the necessity to increase their working capital so they can compete in the market. This is one of the reasons why they are applying for a loan so that they can purchase more merchandise, supplies and tools to increase their business, the other being to contribute to the wellbeing of their family. The group already have experience taking out loans in other similar institutions to Fundación Agrocapital. They are grateful for the great economic support and trust which has been granted to them by this institution, as the future of their families depends on it.

Translated from Spanish by Suzanne Grasso, Kiva Volunteer

Salve Baltazar : Philippines

Fri, 20 Nov 2009 09:50:17 PST

$200 of $225 raised.

Started raising funds on Nov 20, 2009

Salve Baltazar, 42 years old, manages her village store which is situated in her house. Though she is busy managing her business, she is very proud because her family has a harmonious relationship. She is happily married to Manuel and they are blessed with five children: Melinda- 19 years of age, college level; Maryjane -17 years of age, first year college student taking up Education; Marife- 14 years of age, a sophomore high school student; Melvin- 11 years of age, a grade- VI pupil and Mark Paul- 4 years of age. Their family resides in the Barangay of Marobbob Amulung,Cagayan. Wanting to support the education of her children, Salve wants to make her variety store more productive; thus, she is requesting a loan of Php10,000 from KIVA lenders for the expansion of her business. With the loan, Salve will purchase more merchandise such as soft drinks and canned goods.

Eang Oum : Cambodia

Fri, 20 Nov 2009 05:50:13 PST

$200 of $600 raised.

Started raising funds on Nov 20, 2009

Eang Oum is asking for a loan of US $600 to purchase a new motorbike for her family. Oum, 55, is married with three children. The family is supported by her husband (in the photo) who makes walking sticks out of wood, earning US $5 per day to help cover the family's expenses. To make a living, Oum sells food (lunch and dinner) to her new and regular customers, earning approximately US $10 per day as the primary source of income for the family. They live in Siem Reap Province, Cambodia.

This is her first loan from Kiva’s partner, CREDIT. She says that a motorbike will enable her family to cut back on public transportation expenses.

02.1.5 Nam Ngạn Group : Viet Nam

Sun, 15 Nov 2009 10:50:20 PST

$1,525 of $2,375 raised.

Started raising funds on Nov 15, 2009

Huệ Nguyễn Thị (23) is a 43-year-old female living in the town of Thanh Hoá. Huệ is the group leader of a 7-member group loan offered by Thanh Hoa Fund for Poor Women. While each member of the group receives an individual loan, they all are responsible for paying back the loans of their fellow group members if someone is delinquent or defaults. The official name of this borrowing group is 02.1.5 Nam Ngạn (02.1.5 Nam Ngạn). Huệ is married and has two adult children. To make a living, Huệ owns & operates a specialized retail store selling flowers in the local community. Huệ has been engaged in this business for over 20 years and earns approximately 1.200.000 VND a month from these activities. In 2007, Huệ joined Thanh Hoa Fund for Poor Women to gain access to financial services to help improve her living situation and ability to engage in business activities. Huệ has successfully repaid a previous loan of 1.963.500 VND from Thanh Hoa Fund for Poor Women. This previous loan was used to purchase additional products to sell. She is now requesting a new loan of 6.000.000 VND, which will be used to purchase additional products to sell. The loan will be the third loan taken out by the borrower from Thanh Hoa Fund for Poor Women. Huệ plans to use the additional revenue generated from the business to improve the general living conditions of her family. About the Other Borrowers in the Group: 1. Nguyễn Thị Lan (24) is a 46-year-old female who is requesting a 6.000.000 VND loan to support her business in the manufacturing sector operating a furniture-making business. 2. Ngô Thị Ngọc (25) is a 50-year-old female who is requesting a 6.000.000 VND loan to support her business in the food sector running a food stall. 3. Nguyễn Thị Hồng Nhung (26) is a 22-year-old female who is requesting a 6.000.000 VND loan to support her business in the services sector operating a service-based business. 4. Cao Thị Minh Hoàn (27) is a 49-year-old female who is requesting a 6.000.000 VND loan to support her business in the food sector making & selling food. 5. Hoàng Thị Dung (28) is a 40-year-old female who is requesting a 6.000.000 VND loan to support her business in the retail sector operating a clothing business. 6. Ngô Thị Đức (29) is a 41-year-old female who is requesting a 6.000.000 VND loan to support her business in the retail sector running a general store. About Thanh Hoa Fund for Poor Women: The mission of Fund for Thanh Hoa Poor Women (FPW) is to provide sustainable financial services to disadvantaged women in rural areas in the Thanh Hoa province. *Note: To maximize efficiency and reduce costs, this loan was posted using a template to automate the translation by Kiva. Given that manual translation of entrepreneur profiles is costly, Kiva created this template for our Field Partner to allow them to continue to post loans in Vietnamese while providing quality and accurate information to Kiva lenders. Huệ Nguyễn Thị (23) là 43 tuổi nữ. Cô ấy sống ở thành phố Thanh Hoá. Huệ là trưởng nhóm của nhóm vay gồm có 7 các thành viên. Mặc dù mỗi thành viên trong nhóm nhận được từng khoản vay cá nhân, nhưng tất cả họ đều chịu trách nhiệm hoàn trả lại khoản vay của các thành viên trong nhóm của mình nếu một người nào đó trễ hạn hay không trả được nợ.. Tên chính thức của nhóm vay này là 02.1.5 Nam Ngạn (02.1.5 Nam Ngạn). Trong khi không phải chỉ có các phương thức tạo nên thu nhập, mà nguồn thu nhập chính của công việc kinh doanh chủ yếu từ bán hoa trong cộng đồng địa phương. Huệ thực hiện công việc kinh doanh này trong hơn 20 năm. Từ các hoạt động này, Huệ kiếm được khoảng 1.200.000 VND. Vào 2007, Huệ đã tham gia Thanh Hoa Fund for Poor Women để có thể tiếp cận với các dịch vụ tài chính giúp cải thiện sinh hoạt và khả năng tham gia vào các hoạt động kinh doanh của cô ấy/ anh ấy. Huệ đã hoàn trả hết khoản vay trước đây là 1.963.500 VND từ Thanh Hoa Fund for Poor Women. Khoản vay trước đây được sử dụng mua các sản phẩm bổ sung để bán. Cô ấy hiện đang đề nghị một khoản vay mới là 6.000.000 VND. Khoản vay sẽ là 3rd khoản vay của người vay từ Thanh Hoa Fund for Poor Women. Về Những Người vay khác trong Nhóm: 1. Nguyễn Thị Lan (24) là 46 tuổi nữ. Cô ấy đề nghị khoản vay là 6.000.000 VND. Khoản vay này sẽ được sử dụng để hỗ trợ công việc kinh doanh trong lĩnh vực sản xuất. Mục đích chính của việc kinh doanh là vận hành công việc kinh doanh chế tạo hàng nội thất. 2. Ngô Thị Ngọc (25) là 50 tuổi nữ. Cô ấy đề nghị khoản vay là 6.000.000 VND. Khoản vay này sẽ được sử dụng để hỗ trợ công việc kinh doanh trong lĩnh vực thực phẩm. Mục đích chính của việc kinh doanh là buôn bán quầy thực phẩm. 3. Nguyễn Thị Hồng Nhung (26) là 22 tuổi nữ. Cô ấy đề nghị khoản vay là 6.000.000 VND. Khoản vay này sẽ được sử dụng để hỗ trợ công việc kinh doanh trong lĩnh vực dịch vụ. Mục đích chính của việc kinh doanh là vận hành công việc kinh doanh trên cơ sở dịch vụ. 4. Cao Thị Minh Hoàn (27) là 49 tuổi nữ. Cô ấy đề nghị khoản vay là 6.000.000 VND. Khoản vay này sẽ được sử dụng để hỗ trợ công việc kinh doanh trong lĩnh vực thực phẩm. Mục đích chính của việc kinh doanh là sản xuất & buôn bán thức ăn. 5. Hoàng Thị Dung (28) là 40 tuổi nữ. Cô ấy đề nghị khoản vay là 6.000.000 VND. Khoản vay này sẽ được sử dụng để hỗ trợ công việc kinh doanh trong lĩnh vực bán lẻ. Mục đích chính của việc kinh doanh là vận hành công việc kinh doanh quần áo. 6. Ngô Thị Đức (29) là 41 tuổi nữ. Cô ấy đề nghị khoản vay là 6.000.000 VND. Khoản vay này sẽ được sử dụng để hỗ trợ công việc kinh doanh trong lĩnh vực bán lẻ. Mục đích chính của việc kinh doanh là kinh doanh cửa hàng bách hóa. Về Thanh Hoa Fund for Poor Women: Nhiệm vụ của Quỹ vì Phụ Nữ Nghèo Thanh Hóa (FPW) là cung cấp các dịch vụ tài chính bền vững cho những người phụ nữ kém may mắn ở các vùng nông thôn tỉnh Thanh Hóa. *Lưu ý: Để phát huy tối đa hiệu quả & giảm chi phí, khoản vay này đã được thông báo bằng biểu mẫu để có thể được Kiva tự động biên dịch. . Do việc biên dịch thủ công các danh mục rất tốn kém, nên Kiva đã tạo biểu mẫu này cho phần Field Partner (Trường Đối Tác) cho phép họ tiếp tục thông báo các khoản vay bằng Vietnamese trong khi cung cấp thông tin có chất lượng & chính xác cho người cho vay Kiva. ."

Evaristo Armando Massave : Mozambique

Tue, 17 Nov 2009 00:20:12 PST

$800 of $875 raised.

Started raising funds on Nov 17, 2009

Evaristo was born in the Inhambane province (400 km north of Maputo). He is 46 years old, married, and has 6 children ages 6 to 23. He was not able to go to school when he was young but now is attending the 12th grade. He lives in the city of Maputo in military housing with his family and does not support anyone else. He left Inhambane for the northern province of Niassa to complete his mandatory military service in 1982. He is still in the military, but inactive. He was transferred to Maputo for his job in 2003 and earns 17.000,00 MT per month, which he uses to support his family and send some money to family in Inhambane. This is his third loan with Hluvuku-Adsema, in the amount of 25.000,00 MT for the purchase of construction materials (cement, stones, sand, sheet metal, etc.). His other loans were for the same activity in the amounts of 15,000.00 and 30,000.00 respectively. He promises to pay back his loan without any problems in order to have access to future loans with the goal of completing his house and then starting a business.

Translated from Portuguese by Michele Magrino, Kiva Volunteer

Maria : United States

Thu, 29 Oct 2009 09:10:14 PDT

$4,075 of $5,000 raised.

Started raising funds on Oct 29, 2009

Maria's home-based beauty supply retail business was started out of her desire to begin something on her own, proving to herself that she could succeed and earn money on her own. For five years, she has been testing the waters by selling skin care products in her native country, the Philippines. She now plans to start in the United States, since seeing that she has had success abroad.

In the Philippines, Maria's family manages her registered store, and she uses the income to support them. This business has been important for her family's well-being. In the past, they relied on her for remittances from the United States. They now feel empowered by being part of a business that they help to run.

Maria is ambitious and very determined. She wants to sell her products around the world, but plans to start in the U.S. The products she currently sells are new to the market, and she has been testing them out with her customers for two years, putting a lot of time into skin care product education.

Mrs. Pov Kann Village Bank Group : Cambodia

Mon, 16 Nov 2009 17:00:22 PST

$375 of $1,225 raised.

Started raising funds on Nov 16, 2009

Mrs. Pov Kann is the village bank president. The group consists of eight people who live in Tuol Svay village in Takeo province. All the members will use the loan, which is guaranteed by the group, for different purposes.

Mrs. Pov Kann is a farmer who owns a small piece of land to cultivate rice. Her husband, Mr. Reth Ra, is a fishnet maker. Although they work hard, they still earn less income than they need to support their family. In order to improve their living conditions, Mrs. Pov Kann decided to ask for a loan to buy a cow for breeding and she hopes to improve her family's standard of living after she sells her cow.

Mrs. Pov Kann has four children; two are fishermen and the others are attending the local school. Mrs. Koy Ton is presented in the picture with the other group members.

Mushviq Azizov : Azerbaijan

Thu, 29 Oct 2009 17:54:45 PDT

$1,175 of $2,025 raised.

Started raising funds on Oct 29, 2009

Mushviq Azizov is a successful businessman selling foodstuffs at a market in Agsu, Azerbaijan. He started his business about thirteen years ago, after evaluating different business possibilities and deciding this would be the best option and something he would enjoy. Mushviq purchases products at very low prices and then resells at a profit. Because he sells in bulk, he deals with a high inventory turnover rate. He rents a very good location for his business, and he has little competition. He has requested a loan of 1607 AZN to increase his business capital. This loan will give him the ability to purchase more products to sell, enabling him to increase his profits and continue operating a profitable business.

Agartha Ainoo : Ghana

Fri, 13 Nov 2009 05:20:13 PST

$150 of $350 raised.

Started raising funds on Nov 13, 2009

Agartha Ainoo is married to a driver and they have three children. She has received junior high education. Agartha has been selling cloth, glasses, and shoes at Elmina since 2001. She supports her husband in paying the utility bills and the children's school fees. Her loan will be used to buy more glasses and cloth to sell. Agartha hopes to use the new profits from her business to save and reinvest.

Raquel Vanessa Chipana Alejo : Peru

Sun, 01 Nov 2009 00:00:45 PDT

$575 of $825 raised.

Started raising funds on Nov 1, 2009

Sra. Raquel is a member of the Communal Bank “Primero de Agosto” (First of August), which is located in the District of Zepita, Chucuito Province, Department of Puno. She is 22 years old, married, and has 2 children. Raquel lives in Jr. 28 de Julio 583 and completed her high school education.

She has been working with Manuela Ramos for 2 years. Her first loan of 300 soles provided additional capital for her food business. She is now requesting a new loan of 2300 soles to buy rice, sugar, noodles, vegetables, condiments, propane, and other items for preparing food. She sells her dishes from her small restaurant.

Raquel hopes to have a larger restaurant or open a chicken shop. She enjoys her savings and the Communal Bank meetings.

Translated from Spanish by Ronan Reodica, Kiva Volunteer

Ahmad Al-thowaib : Palestine

Fri, 20 Nov 2009 12:30:20 PST

$1,250 of $3,000 raised.

Started raising funds on Nov 20, 2009

Ahmad is a young Palestinian man living in Bethlehem. He is married with six children. Ahmad owns a barber shop in the old city of Bethlehem. He started this business when he was still 18 years old as he likes hairstyles. He took several training sessions to be professional. He has another employee in the shop who helps him, as barber shops in Palestine work for long hours, starting in the morning and running till late in the evening. They have only Monday as their day off (a requirment of the Barber Association). Ahamad requested from FATEN a 3,000 USD loan to renovate his shop and make new decor to attract more customers. He will also use the loan to buy new products for hair and skin treatment. Ahmad appears in the picture at the entrance to his shop.

Silvia Filomena Silva Canales : Nicaragua

Fri, 20 Nov 2009 12:00:18 PST

$325 of $500 raised.

Started raising funds on Nov 20, 2009

Silvia Filomena Silva’s business is the rental of rooms, she’s had this business for 12 years and has done betterments to the rooms to provide a better service. She has three children, two are in the United States of America and send her money for her needs and medicine, the third children lives with her. The rooms are rented to foreigners. She is 61 years old and lives in Mostatepe, with this loan she wants to give maintenance to the rooms such as painting, bathrooms and doors. This is also with the objective to be able to charge a good price that would be sufficient to pay the basic utilities such as: water, power and cleaning services. In addition, she wants to have better living conditions. Her big wish is to be able to see her children soon, they emigrated with the purpose of finding a better job to make better money; as a mother she feels happy because they are in a place with better work opportunities and have established a family. This is why they don’t travel back to the country often.

Translated from Spanish by Sofia Burt, Kiva Volunteer

Ailini Taufeeala : Samoa

Fri, 20 Nov 2009 12:10:15 PST

$275 of $625 raised.

Started raising funds on Nov 20, 2009

Ailini Taufeeala is a 47-year-old woman living in the town of Vaisala. She is married and has eight children. To make a living, Ailini operates a fishing business. The main source of income for the business comes from harvesting and selling ocean-caught fish in the local community. Ailini has been engaged in this business for over four years and earns approximately 400 Samoan tala a month from these activities. In 2008, Ailini joined SPBD to gain access to financial services to help improve her living situation and ability to engage in business activities. Ailini has successfully repaid a previous loan of 750 WST from SPBD. This previous loan was used to invest in expanding the business. Ailini is now requesting a new loan of 1,500 WST, which will be used to invest in expanding the business. This will be the second loan taken out by the borrower from SPBD. Ailini plans to use the additional revenue generated from the business to improve/expand her business. About SPBD: SPBD's mission is to improve the quality of life of people living in poverty in the poor island nations of the South Pacific. SPBD's philosophy of lending is based on a respect for each individual's innate human ingenuity, drive and self-esteem. *Note: To maximize efficiency and reduce costs, this loan was posted using a template to automate the translation by Kiva. Given that manual translation of entrepreneur profiles is costly, Kiva created this template for our Field Partner to allow them to continue to post loans in English while providing quality and accurate information to Kiva lenders.

Lina Clarete : Philippines

Fri, 20 Nov 2009 11:10:16 PST

$350 of $650 raised.

Started raising funds on Nov 20, 2009

Lina Clarete is from the village of Lupagan, Clarin, Misamis Occidental. She is 56 years old, is widowed, and has three adult children. Lina owns and operates a business providing rooms to local community members. She has been engaged in her business for over five years and earns approximately 3,000 PHP a month. In 2008, Lina joined PMPC to gain access to financial services to help improve her living situation and her ability to engage in business activities. She has successfully repaid a previous loan of 33,000 PHP from PMPC. This previous loan was used for the renovation of her rooms. Lina is requesting a new loan of 30,000 PHP which will be used to complete the renovation of her rooms. This loan will be her 5th from PMPC. She plans to use the additional revenue generated from the business to improve and expand her business. About PMPC: Paglaum Multi-Purpose Cooperative (PMPC) is one of the most progressive cooperatives in northwestern Mindanao. It reaches out to the rural poor using the Grameen model. *Note: To maximize efficiency and reduce costs, this loan was posted using a template to automate the translation by Kiva. Given that manual translation of entrepreneur profiles is costly, Kiva created this template for our Field Partner to allow them to continue to post loans in English while providing quality and accurate information to Kiva lenders.

Romana Abantao : Philippines

Fri, 20 Nov 2009 10:10:16 PST

$325 of $450 raised.

Started raising funds on Nov 20, 2009

This is Romana Abantao, a 42-year-old entrepreneur from Maricaban, Pasay City. She currently lives with her three children. Two of her children are in college and the eldest is already working. Her husband Rene, 56, is a seafarer so he is always out of the country. Romana has been managing their pedicab (rickshaw) transport business for four years now, along with selling frozen meat products (sausages, hotdogs, hams, etc.) she gets from a prominent dealer. However, her refrigerator was damaged by the recent flood that hit the entire Manila area, so she has to stop her frozen meat products business for a while because she has nowhere to store her products. Then she got a loan from the Center for Community Transformation (CCT) Credit Cooperative in the amount of P17,000.00, which she used to start a small sari-sari (general) store. She now earns more than P10,000.00 a month from the combined earnings of her new business and her earnings from the rickshaw. She is working hard to be able to get back her former sources of income. When her children finish their college education and are able to get decent jobs, Romana wants to go back to the province and stay there for good. Currently, Romana has requested a new loan from CCT in the amount of P20, 000.00 to infuse more capital into her new general store. About CCT The Center for Community Transformation (CCT) is an organized Christian response against poverty and social injustice. This is carried out through the fusion of social development initiatives and evangelical mission in a uniquely Filipino context. It serves urban and rural poor communities throughout the Philippines, in pursuit of its desire to see changed lives, strong families, and transformed communities centered in the Lordship of Jesus Christ. CCT is a member of the Five Talents family.

Roque Murillo : Philippines

Fri, 20 Nov 2009 07:30:15 PST

$425 of $1,075 raised.

Started raising funds on Nov 20, 2009

Mr. Roque Murillo is from the town of Calamba, Misamis Occidental. He is 45 years old, is married, and is blessed with three adult children. Roque is a security guard of PLDT (Philippine Long Distance Telephone Company) and a motorcycle driver in the local community, earning 4,000 PHP monthly income. Currently, Roque is obtaining his 2nd loan in the amount of 50,000 PHP which will be used for buying housing materials and for his son’s tuition fees. About PMPC: Paglaum Multi-Purpose Cooperative (PMPC) is one of the most progressive cooperatives in northwestern Mindanao. It reaches out to the rural poor using the Grameen model. *Note: To maximize efficiency and reduce costs, this loan was posted using a template to automate the translation by Kiva. Given that manual translation of entrepreneur profiles is costly, Kiva created this template for our Field Partner to allow them to continue to post loans in English while providing quality and accurate information to Kiva lenders.

Arturo Arguello Martinez : Nicaragua

Fri, 20 Nov 2009 16:10:15 PST

$50 of $975 raised.

Started raising funds on Nov 20, 2009

Señor Arturo Arguello Rodríguez is a farmer in the rural area of the municipality of Ticuantepe. For 30 years he has worked in agriculture; he began this work thanks to the support that he received from his parents, who taught him to cultivate various crops. The main difficulty that he faces is that he does not have enough resources to adequately maintain his various crops; he lacks fertilizers and supplies to improve his crops. Don Arturo has 7 children; they are all independent and 2 of them work with him. His wife works as a trader in the Oriental market in the capital city of Managua in order to cover the basic household expenses such as water and light, among others. He will buy fertilizer to increase his production.

Translated from Spanish by Lisa Grobar, Kiva Volunteer

Raïssa Mahulon Godossou : Benin

Fri, 20 Nov 2009 14:50:16 PST

$100 of $350 raised.

Started raising funds on Nov 20, 2009

GODOSSOU Raïssa Mahulon was born on August 25, 1977 and has been residing for 32 years in Cocotomey, not far from Cotonou, the economic capital of Benin. She is married to ADJOVI Hypolite. The couple has two children who are both in school. Raïssa Mahulon comes to her husband's aid to meet family expenses. Having dropped out in secondary school, she started selling cloth, hair extensions, and beauty products ten years ago in Bazounkpa, Benin. She acquires her merchandise from Dantokpa, the international market of Benin, and from Lomé, in Togo, a country neighboring Benin. Raïssa Mahulon has never had an ALIDé loan. To increase her customer base and her working capital, so as to do better in satisfying her more and more numerous customers, she's requesting an initial loan from ALIDé.

Translated from French by Dan Kuey, Kiva Volunteer

Fresita Agbayani : Philippines

Fri, 20 Nov 2009 09:20:18 PST

$275 of $450 raised.

Started raising funds on Nov 20, 2009

Fresita has managed a typical retail store for almost ten years in the village of Ramona, Angadanan, Isabela. Her daily net income is Php 300. Aside from that she also raises some hogs for additional income. Due to a lack of capital, Fresita is motivated to obtain a loan of Php 20,000 from Kiva lenders, to have additional working capital for her business and to have a business expansion. She hopes that lenders will grant her loan as soon as possible to provide her with financial assistance. At the age of 46, Fresita is still single and has no plans for settling down. According to her she feels contented in what she has right now.

Vilma Ruíz Vanegas : Costa Rica

Thu, 19 Nov 2009 08:10:16 PST

$900 of $1,075 raised.

Started raising funds on Nov 19, 2009

Vilma is a 40-year-old woman who lives with her 2 boys and 1 small girl in a community called Canalete, located in Upala, Alajuela province. This is a semi-mountainous area and its economic activities focus on agriculture and, principally, cattle ranching. The community offers great opportunities to develop and establish micro-enterprises in both agro-industry and commerce.

Vilma has had her own business, a small grocery store, for 4 years. She sells basic products to her neighbors. The store has proven to be profitable and it's the only source of income she has. It has helped improve her family's quality of life.

At present, she needs a loan of 600,000 colons to buy more merchandise and increase her inventory. Specifically, she wants to buy basics such as rice, beans, vegetables, canned goods, soft drinks, soap, sweets, and all that may be found in the rural Costa Rican's basic basket. Vilma comments that the service she offers is very important since no other grocery store exists in the zone and as a result, she has many customers.

Vilma is a member of the Canalete Community Credit Enterprise, one of the 100 organizations belonging to EDESA in Costa Rica. This will be her first loan and she hopes to continue growing at the personal and economic level, as well as to participate actively in the credit organization in her community.

Translated from Spanish by Harold Sims, Kiva Volunteer

Jesus Alfaro Ramirez : Mexico

Fri, 20 Nov 2009 16:30:13 PST

$25 of $400 raised.

Started raising funds on Nov 20, 2009

Señor Jesús Alfaro Ramírez is married to Señora Claudia Martina Balbuena; they are parents of 2 small children. He has worked for a company as a bricklayer for 3 years, and also earns extra income doing outside jobs, because people look for him to do construction and improvements on their homes. He and his wife are taking out this loan to add on to their house.

Translated from Spanish by Lisa Grobar, Kiva Volunteer

Norma Aracely Perez Martinez : Mexico

Fri, 20 Nov 2009 16:30:13 PST

$25 of $400 raised.

Started raising funds on Nov 20, 2009

Norma Aracely Pérez is married and the mother of two children. Their father lives with them and all contribute to meet household expenses; they are a very united family. Her husband has been employed by a company for the last 3 years and Norma Aracely has had her own business selling second-hand clothing for the last 2 years. Her business has been steadily growing because she has good quality product for her customers. This is the reason behind her request for funds: to buy more merchandise to add to her stock.

Translated from Spanish by Michael Bujazan, Kiva Volunteer

C2255 Ubumwe Group : Rwanda

Thu, 19 Nov 2009 12:50:17 PST

$750 of $1,425 raised.

Started raising funds on Nov 19, 2009

Sylivestre is 37 years old and is married with three children. He lives in Kabuga where he is the president of a group called “Ubumwe”. This is the fourth successful year in their business of selling small fish commonly known as “indagara”. The group works from 6 a.m. to 5 p.m. every day. The group is requesting its first loan from Kiva lenders via Vision Finance Company in order to expand their business through purchasing a greater volume of indagara fish. With this loan, the group hopes to get better pricing for their product and improve their business and hopefully earn more profit in the process. This, in turn, will allow the members and their devoted spouses to build a secure future for themselves.

Beng Boon : Cambodia

Fri, 20 Nov 2009 05:40:11 PST

$300 of $500 raised.

Started raising funds on Nov 20, 2009

Beng Boon, 33, is single and lives with his parents. He resides in Siem Reap Province, Cambodia. To make a living, he raises pigs and produces rice wine. He is able to earn an income of $8 USD per day from his businesses, which helps cover household expenses. Boon and his family are seeking to improve their standard of living. Therefore, Boon is asking for a loan of $500 USD to purchase pig food and pig medicine. With the remainder of the loan, Boon wants to purchase more rice to manufacture more rice wine to meet customer demand.

Kodjo Zanyo : Togo

Wed, 18 Nov 2009 10:30:17 PST

$900 of $925 raised.

Started raising funds on Nov 18, 2009

Very young since he's only 23, Mr. Kodjo ZANYO took up farming as soon as he dropped out of secondary school. He chiefly grows corn. His crops from the last agricultural campaign were very good and he intends to further increase them for the new campaign. This is why he's seeking a loan in order to expand his arable area and to buy fertilizers to improve yields.

Translated from French by Patrick Stadelmann, Kiva Volunteer

Virgen Asunta De Racsa Group : Peru

Thu, 19 Nov 2009 17:20:13 PST

$350 of $3,275 raised.

Started raising funds on Nov 19, 2009

Our members belong to the “VIRGEN ASUNTA DE RACSA” communal bank. The bank is made up of 11 members and it is new. The members are residents of Cusco province. Most of them have independent stalls in the "Virgen Asunta" market but with similar lines of work. The "Virgen Asunta" market is three years old. The group meetings are held in Angelica's stand. Our members alternate their various domestic chores with sales of potatoes, sacks, and grains. Marianela, for example, sells grains like corn, kidney beans, barley, wheat, etc. Antonia sells potato sacks. Most of the members sell wholesale potatoes; they distribute their potatoes to the other municipal markets. The members are asking for financing to use as working capital so that they can increase their products and sales thereby providing their families with improved quality of life. The members value and appreciate the loan granted and pledge to repay in a timely fashion. (The member José did not attend the meeting due to work obligations so does not appear in the photo. He did, however, ask the governing board of the communal bank for permission to be absent).

Translated from Spanish by Michael Bujazan, Kiva Volunteer

Keep Project Of Central Group : Uganda

Thu, 19 Nov 2009 10:40:16 PST

$475 of $2,325 raised.

Started raising funds on Nov 19, 2009

Suzan Nampala 26, is the leader of her lending group in Bunamwaya. She is a very self-motivated and hard working lady. She has a cosmetics business that she has been running for two years. She is married with 2 children aged 6 years and 2 and a half years, and she also takes care of 3 dependants. From her business, Suzan is able to make a profit each week and she attributes this to the good customer care she delivers. Her dream is to develop her cosmetics shop further, as well as continue being a good citizen in her community. Suzan is seeking her second loan from her lending group and she hopes to use it to increase the stock in her business for more profits.

Jose Luis Ramirez Roman : Peru

Fri, 20 Nov 2009 10:30:15 PST

$100 of $350 raised.

Started raising funds on Nov 20, 2009

Jose is 19 years old and lives with his wife, who is also young. He has a 1 year old daughter. They live in his mother-in-law’s house, and work in recycling. His wife also has a small pig-raising business. She has one mother sow and three piglets that her mother gave her. They have been working in this business for one year.

Jose has many goals, one of which is to build the pig-raising business because it is very profitable. His mother-in-law supports this. This is the first time that they have applied for a loan on the recommendation of his mother-in-law, who is also a Caja Rural client. With this loan he wishes to begin selling watermelon as an ambulatory vendor because he used to earn his living with this business.

Translated from Spanish by Mary McKee, Kiva Volunteer

La Gloria (cuenca) Group : Ecuador

Wed, 18 Nov 2009 17:10:15 PST

$675 of $2,550 raised.

Started raising funds on Nov 18, 2009

The La Gloria communal bank is located in the La Gloria community which is part of the Valle parish. It is located southwest of the city of Cuenca and is renowned for its corn, cowpea, potato, etc. production. Its attraction is the Cochapamba lagoons, the Tasqui hill, which affords a beautiful view of the parish and the city of Cuenca. Its people are very simple, warm and kind like our members. Mrs. María Criollo, 55, is one of the members of the bank. She is married and the mother of 4 children who are 32, 30, 17 and 16 years of age. Her first two are married and live independently and the last two are students at the Guillermo Mensi school in Valle. Her husband is a carpenter and they live in their own home. María has raised chickens for the past 3 years and she comments that she does well selling her chickens in the community and to neighbors who come to her house to buy them. She gets along well with all the other members of the bank. This is her first loan with the foundation which she was encouraged to request by a girlfriend. As she says: due to lack of funds one always must look for resources to be able to continue working. With the loan from ESPOIR she will buy young chicks and chicken feed. Her goal is to see her children succeed at their work and become professionals. Mrs. Carmen Prado, 48, is also a member of the bank. She is a single mother of three children who are 26, 22 and 10 years old. Her eldest daughter is married and lives independently elsewhere; her second oldest works and helps her mother with utility payments and her youngest son is a student at the Tomas Rendón school. Thanks to the strength of her efforts she has managed to build her own house. Carmen sells prepared meals. She slaughters a pig and prepares delicious pork stew and fried pork dishes. She also roasts chickens and guinea pigs. She has had this work for the past 15 years and does well producing earnings to sustain her household. She gets along well with all the other members of the bank. This is her first loan and she was encouraged to solicit it by a member of the community. She will use some of the financing from ESPOIR to invest in her business, some to buy school supplies for her son and the rest to buy food for her home. Her goal is to improve her house because it is currently made of adobe (wood and straw bricks).

Translated from Spanish by Michael Bujazan, Kiva Volunteer

Suraiyo Nazirova : Tajikistan

Thu, 19 Nov 2009 12:40:16 PST

$375 of $1,200 raised.

Started raising funds on Nov 19, 2009

Nazirova Suraiyo is a 36-year-old mother whose husband has no fixed income. So, to cover day-to-day necessities, she processes and sells dried apricots with the help of her elder son. She uses all the money she makes to care for her three children and provide for their education. Suraiyo has 15 years of experience processing and selling dried apricots. She is very polite and considerate, and her clients are always very happy with the service they receive from her. Because her business is doing so well, she is increasing her net worth month by month. Today Suraiyo requests $1200 USD to purchase more dried apricots to process and increase her range of goods. Suraiyo and her son express their gratitude for everyone supporting them and they promise to repay their loan in a timely manner. More about Tajikistan and IMON International Tajikistan is known for its rich history, which includes a key post along the Silk Road and the end of Alexander the Great's rule. It has also produced great thinkers, philosophers, scientists and poets, including Rudaki, Avicenna, Ferdowsi, Omar Khayyam, Jomi, and Rumi. The country is home to communities that still speak the ancient Sogdian language, epic mountain passes, and a civilization that dates back to the 4th millennium BC. And, even today, it is a complex mixture of the Islamic faith, Soviet culture, New West culture and Central Asian traditions. But Tajikistan is also the poorest of the former Soviet republics. The civil war, which ignited soon after its independence from the U.S.S.R., further damaged the already weak economy. In addition, 93% of the country is mountainous and only 7% of the land is arable. These conditions have resulted in high levels of unemployment and have forced hundreds of thousands to seek work in other countries, mainly Russia. While the people of Tajikistan are working to improve its agricultural production and manufacturing sector, nearly two-thirds of the population still live in abject poverty. IMON's History Since December 2007, IMON International has worked closely with Kiva and Kiva lenders to ensure that poor and low income clients represent a viable business proposition. Funds raised through Kiva have already been distributed to thousands of IMON International's clients and will continue to provide thousands more with permanent access to the varied financial services they need. To learn more about IMON International's work, please visit: http://www.imon.tj