I’ve been intrigued by micro-lending since I first heard of the Grameen Bank‘s innovative social entrepreneurial work. The concept is pretty simple, small loans can make the difference between poverty and prosperity for people around the world, especially women. Micro-loans typically have low default rates, as recipients respect that this is a business venture and not a charity. When I first learned about how they worked, I immediately wanted to invest in hard working families across the globe.
So, I was really excited to learn that a couple from San Fransisco figured out how to make small lender-to-recipient loans possible. Kiva’s web site is very straightforward and explains the whole process, but the best part is that they share stories of the people seeking loans and you are able to connect with them via the web and track their progress and repayment. You can choose projects in almost any field and any country. Check the video out for yourself:
Literally little by little small loans are making a big impact around the world.
Will your family consider investing in a micro-loan? Please share your story!
Use this link to lend your first $25 through Kiva for free!
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Sustainable Family Finances
The story of a family creating an abundant and sustainable life.
For winter holidays, our families do ‘charitable giving’ exchanges rather than gifts. For the sister-in-law with MS, we donate to the MS society; for the nature lover, The Nature Conservancy; and so on. One year, we did Kiva and Heifer.
We found this was a great way to give a meaningful gift when we adults have all we need. (materials gifts were still given to the kiddos).