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Kiva Blog Update

Kiva Blog Update,

Want to support farmers in Belize? Eat more chocolate (and make a loan!)

This is a guest post by Emily Stone, the managing director at Kiva partner Maya Mountain Cacao in Belize. MMC supports cacao growers in the country to improve their livelihoods and get their high-quality product to market. Chocolate. Dark brown, delicious, sweet, creamy, cocoa-loaded delights. Brownies, cookies, mousse, tarts, cakes, ganache. Candy bars, truffles, and bonbons. This is the choco ...

Kiva Fellows Update

Kiva Fellows Update,

Nuru Energy: Renewable and Non-Solar

Kerosene is the primary source of light for over a billion people on the planet. Its fumes can cause health problems for those that use it frequently (sometimes children, studying after dark), and the long-run costs can reach a quarter of a family’s income. To top things off, kerosene’s black carbon byproduct is a far greater threat to climate change than carbon dioxide (see article). Despite ...

Kiva Fellows Update

Kiva Fellows Update,

Up In the Caucasus: Photos of History in the Making

From Azerbaijan, another photo blog!  This time, no politics, no opinions - just spectacular views of one of the best regions on the planet.  Photos from the northern towns of Sheki, Zaqatala, Qax, and a couple from Georgia. One point of clarification: any reference to 'Albanian' is about Caucasian Albanian - an ancient civilization that existed in this region, with no relation to toda ...

Kiva Fellows Update

Kiva Fellows Update,

Weaving, Women, and Justice in Guatemala

Today in Guatemala's Supreme Court, closing arguments are being delivered in the trial of former head of state, Efraín Ríos Montt on the accusations of genocide and crimes against humanity.  This landmark case has taken years of patience and the steady call for justice from the affected indigenous communities of Guatemala. In the following blog post, I will outline how the art of Mayan w ...

Kiva Blog Update

Kiva Blog Update,

Passport Series: Rwanda overcomes a brutal history & paves the way for gender equality

No larger than the state of Maryland, Rwanda is a small landlocked nation in the heart of Africa. Full of lakes and very mountainous, it is a beautiful country with just over 12 million inhabitants. Today, some consider it Africa’s “biggest success story,” but just 19 short years ago the nation was haunted by one of the most horrific genocides in history. 1994 GENOCIDE Unfortunately, w ...

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  1. Kiva Fellows Update

    Empowering Women Entrepreneurs: A Kiva Success Story

    Riding a motorcycle in a developing country is, well, eventful to say the least.  The term “road hazard” takes on a whole new meaning.  Horse drawn carts, herds of cattle, stray chickens – the possibilities are endless.  The first time I had the pleasure of experiencing a motorcycle ride in Nicaragua was the day I met Claudia. Trying to look tough...not sure I pull it off in my preppy Kiva…

    Posted by Matt Bastone

  2. Kiva Fellows Update

    Kopo Kopo: Six revolutionary digits for Kiva Zip borrowers

    For the past few months Kiva Zip has been constantly innovating and experimenting using mobile technology. One experiment that deserves to be highlighted is that of our pilot with a service called Kopo Kopo. Kopo Kopo is a world-class platform which enables small and medium businesses to accept mobile payments and build relationships with their customers. They receive a six-digit till number…

    Posted by Rachel Davis

  3. Partner Update

    Field Update: Bringing light to rural Rwanda with Nuru Energy

    Rwanda
    Greetings Kiva lender, Rwanda has remarkable infrastructure compared to many of its peers in sub-Saharan Africa. The electric grid reaches many areas you wouldn’t expect, far up in the mountains, hours from the nearest city; but many towns still remain beyond the reach of the grid, and an organization called Nuru Energy has stepped up to fill the gap. Nuru has found a way to recruit…

    Posted by Mario Ariza

  4. Kiva Fellows Update

    Meet Sandra, Zambia's Most Successful Kiva Borrower & Mobile Transactions Agent

    “I just want to be a successful business woman,” Sandra says when asked what she hopes to achieve in the next 2-3 years. She already is. In fact, she is the most successful agent working with Zoona--a mobile money/transactions company that allows individuals to send and receive money over their phones using the conversion of cash into electronic value, and electronic value back into cash.…

    Posted by Michelle Schenck

  5. Kiva Blog Update

    Week in Review: Videos that inspire us

    This past week we've seen so many great videos that really resonated with us. So we would like to leave you with some inspirational weekend watching material! Video is an utterly unique medium, with so much potential. We're looking forward to bringing you more stories of Kiva borrowers on video, especially as the next class of Kiva Fellows prepares to head out into the field after…

    Posted by Emily Wakefield

  6. Kiva Fellows Update

    7 Questions on Growing Social Enterprises in Vietnam

    Mrs. Pham Kieu Oanh is the founder and CEO of the Centre for Social Initiatives Promotion (CSIP), a non-governmental and non-profit organization working to nurture social enterprises (SEs) in Vietnam to maximize their chances for success. CSIP is a critical partner providing intensive, early stage support to a select number of social entrepreneurs in the form of financial assistance,…

    Posted by Jon Fung

  7. Kiva Blog Update

    Want to support farmers in Belize? Eat more chocolate (and make a loan!)

    This is a guest post by Emily Stone, the managing director at Kiva partner Maya Mountain Cacao in Belize. MMC supports cacao growers in the country to improve their livelihoods and get their high-quality product to market. Chocolate. Dark brown, delicious, sweet, creamy, cocoa-loaded delights. Brownies, cookies, mousse, tarts, cakes, ganache. Candy bars, truffles, and bonbons. This is the…

    Posted by Camille Ricketts

  8. Kiva Blog Update

    Passport Series: Kiva partners offer innovative solutions in Rwanda

    Tragedy struck Rwanda almost 20 years ago when hundreds of thousands of citizens were killed in a matter of months in a horrific genocide. While great strides have been made, the economy has never been the same since. Over 40% of the population still lives below the poverty line. We are proud that Kiva’s presence in Rwanda can help the nation regrow by providing opportunity to small businesses…

    Posted by Emily Wakefield

  9. Kiva Fellows Update

    Nuru Energy: Renewable and Non-Solar

    Kerosene is the primary source of light for over a billion people on the planet. Its fumes can cause health problems for those that use it frequently (sometimes children, studying after dark), and the long-run costs can reach a quarter of a family’s income. To top things off, kerosene’s black carbon byproduct is a far greater threat to climate change than carbon dioxide (see article). Despite…

    Posted by Mario Ariza

  10. Kiva Fellows Update

    Up In the Caucasus: Photos of History in the Making

    From Azerbaijan, another photo blog!  This time, no politics, no opinions - just spectacular views of one of the best regions on the planet.  Photos from the northern towns of Sheki, Zaqatala, Qax, and a couple from Georgia. One point of clarification: any reference to 'Albanian' is about Caucasian Albanian - an ancient civilization that existed in this region, with no relation to…

    Posted by Dimitri Zakharov

  11. Kiva Fellows Update

    Happy Mother's Day from Around the World

    We've collected a few of our favorite (and cutest) photos of mothers, grandmothers and their children from the circle of Kiva borrowers around the world.  We hope that you make a this a special day to remember your mothers and any other women who cared for you like a mother!    P.S. A Kiva Card makes a great last-minute gift! Mother and daughter CAURIE borrowers, Fautou and Sylla in…

    Posted by Jada Tullos Anderson

  12. Kiva Blog Update

    Dia de la Mama: A snapshot of single motherhood in Santiago, Chile

    This is a guest post by Kiva Fellow Esther Honig, who spent the last four months working with Kiva partner Fondo Esperanza in Chile. In Santiago, Chile, a recent census showed that 50% of households living below the poverty line are run by single mothers. The reason why has a lot to do with gender inequality in Chilean society. Of 93 countries surveyed around the world, Chile ranks 60th on the…

    Posted by Esther Honig

  13. Kiva Fellows Update

    Weaving, Women, and Justice in Guatemala

    Today in Guatemala's Supreme Court, closing arguments are being delivered in the trial of former head of state, Efraín Ríos Montt on the accusations of genocide and crimes against humanity.  This landmark case has taken years of patience and the steady call for justice from the affected indigenous communities of Guatemala. In the following blog post, I will outline how the art of Mayan…

    Posted by Jeffrey Nelson

  14. Kiva Blog Update

    What Mother's Day means for Kiva Partners: Voice from Hope Congo

    This is a guest post from Allie Hill, the Kiva Coordinator who works at field partner HOPE Congo.  The author (right) with a HOPE Congo client Edith. It was my first month living in Brazzaville, Republic of Congo. I had a mixture of emotions adjusting to a new culture, climate, and language, yet I was excited about my work with HOPE Congo’s clients. During my orientation, I visited several…

    Posted by Camille Ricketts

  15. Kiva Blog Update

    What Mother's Day means for Kiva Partners: Perspectives from Cambodia

    For Mother's Day, we wanted to hear from some of our partners in the field about how motherhood, or helping mothers, has changed their perspective or inspired them to do more. We were excited to speak to Yuthida Sophat, treasury officer for VisionFund Cambodia, who is also a young mother. KIVA: How does VisionFund Cambodia work to serve and support mothers? YUTHIDA: VisionFund…

    Posted by Camille Ricketts

  16. Kiva Blog Update

    Week in Review: The state of the world's mothers

    Just in time for Mother’s Day, Save the Children has published its 14th annual State of the World’s Mothers report -- defining the best and worst places in the world to be a mother. In this year’s report, 176 countries were ranked based on the well-being of mothers and children. Their health, educational, economic, and political status were all taken into consideration. Kiva works with…

    Posted by Emily Wakefield

  17. Kiva Blog Update

    Passport Series: Rwanda overcomes a brutal history & paves the way for gender equality

    No larger than the state of Maryland, Rwanda is a small landlocked nation in the heart of Africa. Full of lakes and very mountainous, it is a beautiful country with just over 12 million inhabitants. Today, some consider it Africa’s “biggest success story,” but just 19 short years ago the nation was haunted by one of the most horrific genocides in history. 1994 GENOCIDE Unfortunately, when…

    Posted by Emily Wakefield

  18. Kiva Fellows Update

    Vietnam? More like VietNOM: A Streetfood Photojournal

    As someone who loves to eat, you have no idea how happy I was when I found out I was placed in Hanoi for my Kiva Fellowship. Vietnam has some of the absolute best food in the world. Vietnamese dishes commonly use lemongrass, fish sauce, ginger, mint, basil, bird's eye chili, and lime in all sorts of delicious combinations. These distinct flavors combined with French influences come…

    Posted by Jon Fung

  19. Kiva Blog Update

    Behind the Scenes: Spotlight on amazing Kiva Coordinators

    Without the hard work and dedication of countless individuals, Kiva could never have touched the lives of over 1 million borrowers. Kiva Coordinators are critical to making this possible. KCs work with loan officers in the field to gather photos and stories of borrowers to post on the Kiva site -- connecting them to our community of lenders ready to help. KCs ensure that borrowers are…

    Posted by Emily Wakefield

  20. Kiva Blog Update

    The Demonstration Effect: How Kiva made a difference for sanitation startup Sanergy

    Do you remember in school when your teachers used say that imitation is the highest form of flattery?  Maybe that didn’t happen to you, but I can remember hating it when a kid next to me would copy my drawing, cupcake decoration or science project and claim it was his own idea. That said -- no matter where you fall on the flattery spectrum -- here at Kiva we think copycats are great.  Let me…

    Posted by Eileen Silva