Kiva - update 2

This morning a client called and during the call we got onto winning Lotto, as you do, and he asked me what I would do if I won a massive Lotto.  I of course, along with everyone else probably, have put considerable thought into where I would spend my millions should I ever have the good fortune to win Lotto.

Apart from paying off our mortgage, travelling, giving some money to our parents & siblings to help them get a bit more financial security, the thing I really would want to do is set up my own charity.

Not a charity charity, more of a here's a hand up not hand out charity.  Finding people who have great ideas, but no backing, and giving them the financial boost they might need to have a crack at their dream/idea.

The full ins and outs of my charity are a bit all over the place and definitely for another post :)  but it did turn my mind to the hand up charity I'm currently involved with, Kiva.

For those who haven't read my old posts, Kiva is "a non-profit organisation with a mission to connect people through lending to alleviate poverty. Leveraging the internet and a worldwide network of microfinance institutions, Kiva lets individuals lend as little as $25 to help create opportunity around the world". (from Kiva website)

I joined Kiva back in March 2009, and since then I have lent US$1,500, spread across 60 people whose idea/dream/plan caught my eye.

All of the people I have leant to have been women, I'm a subscriber to the theory if you help a woman, she in turn will help more people throughout her community and family, than a man may.  I'm not saying a man won't help as many, but in alot of countries females don't get the opportunity that men get, and if you can empower a woman she will take it with both hands because it's rarer for them than for men. If that makes sense, there is a quote out there somewhere that succinctly summarises my thinking, but I can't find it at the moment!

Anyway this was going to be a quick post just to update how our Kiva group was going!

I setup a team in Kiva called 'Aussie & Kiwi Savers' made up of members of a site I use Simple Savings, I thought I might be able to get a bit of support from fellow members, however the support that has been given is mind boggling.

I established the team in May 2009 and our team as at today 25 May 2011 is:

81 members
822 loans
US$20,775 worth of loans

Over US$20,000 of loans, that's amazing!  So much more than I thought would happen when I posted about Kiva on Simple Savings!


Again, just for any newbies I'm not advocating everyone get involved, I would highly recommend anyone who is interested in joining reads everything they can on Kiva, either through the Kiva website http://www.kiva.org/   or by googling Kiva, and make your own decision.

There but for the grace of God go I.............. rings so true to me when I think of Kiva.......

Till next time,