Kiva Blog Update

Kiva Blog Update,

Passport Series: Rwandan borrowers who inspire us

To conclude our Passport Series on Rwanda, we would like to share with you a couple of particularly inspiring borrower stories to remind you just how impactful a $25 loan can be -- especially in a country where almost 45% of the population lives below the poverty line. Meet Felicite.  A 45-year-old mother of two, her (and her family’s) livelihood depends on her farm -- just like 90% of the R ...

Kiva Blog Update

Kiva Blog Update,

Lending team pages get a new look!

After several weeks of extensive user testing, we’re excited to release a new site update for the lending team "About" pages next week. This is all part of a concerted effort to better integrate lender feedback into our design process, and I’m personally excited about how much we’ve been able to do with this next round of changes. In addition to your emails and comments on the blog and le ...

Kiva Fellows Update

Kiva Fellows Update,

3 Remarkable things I learned in Kosovo

  My first mind blowing experience in Kosovo happened almost immediately when my feet touched the ground getting out of the bus in Kosovo - what an introduction to a country! Having emerged from the shadow of a war that divided ethnic communities in the Balkans just over a decade ago, Kosovo considers itself to be the baby of Europe – having declared independence as recently as 2008. ...

Kiva Fellows Update

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 K ...

Kiva Fellows Update

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 ca ...

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  1. Kiva Blog Update

    A poetic recap to the Month of Microfinance

    Canterbury Microeconomics Club A Thank You Poem (Inspired by the rhymes of the Grade Three Kiva Ninjas at Bear Creek Elementary) Not all feel compelled to jump up and dance, Upon hearing that April’s Month of Micro-finance. Once you’ve heard these stories, though, we know you’ll be crumping, Cuz’ since we heard them here, our hearts have been thumping... It wasn’t enough just to say…

    Posted by Polly Peterson

  2. Kiva Blog Update

    Passport Series: Rwandan borrowers who inspire us

    To conclude our Passport Series on Rwanda, we would like to share with you a couple of particularly inspiring borrower stories to remind you just how impactful a $25 loan can be -- especially in a country where almost 45% of the population lives below the poverty line. Meet Felicite.  A 45-year-old mother of two, her (and her family’s) livelihood depends on her farm -- just like 90% of the…

    Posted by Emily Wakefield

  3. Kiva Fellows Update

    3 Remarkable things I learned in Kosovo

      My first mind blowing experience in Kosovo happened almost immediately when my feet touched the ground getting out of the bus in Kosovo - what an introduction to a country! Having emerged from the shadow of a war that divided ethnic communities in the Balkans just over a decade ago, Kosovo considers itself to be the baby of Europe – having declared independence as recently as 2008.…

    Posted by Rachel Lewis

  4. Kiva Blog Update

    Lending team pages get a new look!

    After several weeks of extensive user testing, we’re excited to release a new site update for the lending team "About" pages next week. This is all part of a concerted effort to better integrate lender feedback into our design process, and I’m personally excited about how much we’ve been able to do with this next round of changes. In addition to your emails and comments on the blog and lending…

    Posted by Brandon Smith

  5. Kiva Blog Update

    Featured Volunteer: Pam McMurry, the grass is greener on this side with over 1,000 translated loans!

    ‘'It’s amazing to see the other volunteers dedicating themselves to Kiva. I am truly in awe of them and how much they know. I can always draw on them through the forum when I have a question and within seconds people respond!" City: Minneapolis, United States Languages: Spanish Team: Saliendo Adelante Time with Kiva: 3 years and 5 months Outstanding contributions to Kiva: Pam McMurry,…

    Posted by Nida Jafri

  6. Partner Update

    Field Update - Supporting the poor through life's emergencies in Azerbaijan

    Azerbaijan
    Salam əleyküm, Kiva Lenders! From the foothills of the Caucasus, I want to send you a big hello from Azerbaijan. You have all supported partner VisionFund AzerCredit through your lending on Kiva. As a Kiva Fellow in Azerbaijan, I have been working with AzerCredit for the last 4 months and want to share some stories from the field. AzerCredit is Kiva’s newest partner in Azerbaijan and the…

    Posted by Dimitri Zakharov

  7. Partner Update

    Field Update - Supporting the internally displaced in Azerbaijan

    Azerbaijan
    Salam əleyküm, Kiva Lenders! From the foothills of the Caucasus, I want to send you a big hello from Azerbaijan. You have all supported Komak Credit Union through your lending on Kiva. As a Kiva Fellow in Azerbaijan, I have been working with Komak for the last 4 months and want to share some stories from the field. During my work, I had the pleasure of traveling with the staff to visit their…

    Posted by Dimitri Zakharov

  8. 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

  9. 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

  10. 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

  11. 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

  12. 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

  13. 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

  14. 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

  15. 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

  16. 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

  17. 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

  18. 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

  19. 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

  20. 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