A movement of students and educators
empowered to change the world through microfinance.

Made possible by

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Bringing Kiva into the classroom with Kiva U.

Start here

Are you a student or educator ready to take action? Use the links below to make a difference in your classroom / on your campus / around the world.

  Who are you?  

Student
 
 
Educator
 
 

Welcome to Kiva U!

This is your space. This is where it all begins. When you join a Kiva U team, you’ll connect with hundreds of other student changemakers impacting the world through microlending. Tackle complex world problems together, and change lives by helping borrowers build businesses, go to school, switch to clean energy, and more. It’s all possible — starting now. 

  I like Kiva U because it made me realize macro changes start with micro changers. Now I feel a part of a global movement to end disparity.

Kristina Campos, Student, City College of San Francisco

Making a difference is as easy as 1, 2, 3...

1

Join a team

Join forces with other inspired students to have conversations, share ideas and mobilize.

2

Gear up

On our Kiva U Toolkits page find everything from "how to" guides to Kiva U party supplies to help you get going.

3

Go big

Invite your friends to join through your Kiva Profile, start a Kiva U club at your school, & spread the word in your networks with #KivaU!

Kiva U Toolkits »

GUIDES, EDUCATION MATERIALS,& MORE

Welcome to Kiva U!

Ready to bring microfinance into the classroom? Now you can find all the information and support you need to teach Kiva across grade levels and subject areas.

When you join Kiva U, you can create a team for your class or club, and tap into lesson plans to engage students in learning while changing lives. Kiva is a great way for young people to take a hands on approach to complex topics such as entrepreneurship, international development, and financial inclusion. 

  [The students] did their very best because it was real life and it mattered to them. Real life learning. Doing work that matters.

— Diana Williams, Primary School Teacher, Surrey BC

It’s easy to get involved. We have two great resources for you to start using Kiva in your classroom: You’ll find free and downloadable PDFs of lesson plans and ideas posted by Kiva and a community of like-minded teachers on BetterLesson.com:

 

And we’ve got "how to" guides and other great materials about Kiva, microfinance, and financial inclusion on our Kiva U Toolkits page.

Lessons at BetterLesson »

High school, Middle school, Elementary school

Kiva U Toolkits »

GUIDES, EDUCATION MATERIALS,& MORE

Happening Now

 

Lesson Plans for Parents at Home 

Kiva U's Online Game - Global Impact!

 

Try your hand at 'Global Impact' by making loans, helping borrowers around the world get their businesses going, and keeping Kiva and yourself healthy and strong along the way! See how high you can score and how many borrowers lives you can change.

Tap Into Your Power for Good with Kiva & TEDx

Use this TEDx Talk on the Power of 'We' & How Technology Connects Us for Good and the accompanying activity and interview to guide your class, campus club or family and friends in exploring how you can tap into your own power for good!

 

To Be Part of Kiva U Create or Join a Kiva U Team

The only way to be a part of the Kiva U community, to get emails and updates, and join our unified calls to action is to join a Kiva U team. Kiva U teams are any teams that are registered under the Colleges/Universities, Schools, and Youth team categories. 

Your school, club, or class may already have a team that you can join - do a quick search here. If not, create one by going to the Start a New Team button on the right of this page.

See what other teams and classrooms are doing: 

Kiva U team members from around the world came together at the 2013 Kiva U Summit

Kiva makes it easy to lend as little as $25 to help people start and grow businesses,
build homes, go to school, switch to solar energy, and much more.

Our Vision

Kiva U envisions a world where all students and educators are empowered with the tools and opportunities to become informed, inspired, and mobilized global citizens. Through experiential learning, digital collaboration, and the power of human connections, Kiva U provides a platform for young people to take action and change lives via microfinance and financial inclusion.

The result is a program that: A gives students and educators the resources and opportunity to make a real difference in the world, B tackles some of today’s most important social issues through the lens of microlending, and C touches the lives of thousands of people in the process.

Kiva U is a collaboration between Kiva and Citi to engage students and educators on the topic of financial inclusion on campuses, in classrooms, and via social networks.