Ever heard of Kiva?
I first learned of Kiva in my History of Genocide course at Utah Valley University. Kiva is a non-profit organization that facilitates microfinance loans throughout the world from and to individuals or groups in increments of $25.
What I have done is make a loan about every month after I receive my repayments from previous loans. So the money I have already lent which is about eight loans so far, repaying about $15 a month, meaning I only pay an additional $10 or so to complete another loan thus recycling the money for another loan. I’m hoping to continue to do this for years and years to come.
There are usually several hundred to a couple thousand loans funding at any given time. When I started I wanted to make it a bit personal so I have a small criteria. So far all my loans have gone to women (a little solidarity never hurt right?), I like to choose countries that have been through genocide or that I have visited, and typically I choose to loan to individuals rather than groups. However today I leant to a group in The Democratic Republic of the Congo, I thought it would be a fitting choice since I just saw and reviewed the play Ruined.
During my time at school in several of my courses we discussed how as individuals, students, groups, classes and societies can alleviate the suffering of others. When I am asked what someone can do to help or contribute in a positive way these are my first two responses
1- Learn. Educate. Reach out to informative outlets. I recommend this partly because it has to be the first step, you can’t address a problem until you know there is a problem. Partly because in my experience and research that is what others have asked me to do, Tell their story, share their story.
“The compelling reason why we should learn about the Holocaust, and the genocides committed against other peoples as well, is so that we might be filled with a revulsion at what took place and thus be inspired, indeed galvanized, to commit ourselves to ensure that such atrocities should never happen again. It is sadly true what a cynic has said, that we learn from history that we do not learn from history.” found here
1- Kiva. It is very user friendly, easy for individuals, small monetary commitment, very little time is required, it can give over and over, goes directly to those who need it. Kiva actually received quite a bit of publicity in December 2010 as one of Oprah’s Ultimate Favorite Things of 2010.
"Dream big. Start small. Kiva started with just 7 loans worth $3,500. Today it has helped fund over 209,000 loans worth over $152 million." found here
If you are interested in Kiva please visit here.
I had heard of Kiva before. At the time, it sounded like a great organization that I would like to support. But I didn't act on it then.
Your story is great, and it really shows that just a little really can make a difference in people's lives.
Posted by: Stephanie - The Travel Chica | August 30, 2011 at 07:06 PM