Kiva.org
Rose Amoit's new salon supported by Kiva (Max Schoening)
By making a loan to a developing world entrepreneur, anyone can become a business partner with a goat-herder in Uganda, a carpet-weaver in Afghanistan or a farmer in Ecuador. When the loan is repaid you get your money back - which you can then re-loan to another entrepreneur or withdraw to your PayPal account.
Kiva.org partners with microfinance institutions (organisations that offer financial services to the poor) around the world and allows them to post approved loan applications to the Kiva.org website.
When you visit www.kiva.org you can browse the approved businesses waiting for funding - and lend to them, from just £15.
Throughout the loan you will receive email updates, reporting on repayments made and the progress of the business. When the loan is repaid, you get your money back.
To make a loan follow these steps:
1 Go to www.kiva.org
2 Click on LEND
3 Choose an entrepreneur you'd like to lend to
4 Choose the amount you'd like to loan and check out.
Loans enable the poor to help themselves out of poverty. By investing in a developing world entrepreneur, you are contributing toward creating a self-sustainable business which can pay for school fees and uniforms, medicine, a better diet and better living situation.
So far Kiva.org has connected over 100,000 global lenders with over 16,000 entrepreneurs in 36 countries. We are creating a global community of entrepreneurs working hard to make a better life for themselves, and lenders who believe in them.
