Kiva

I love the concept of micro loans. Small loans given directly to poverty stricken individuals or families in 3rd world countries who cannot get loans elsewhere. As a rule, these people could lift themselves out of poverty if just given the chance. While there are many groups that will take your money and put it to good use in a micro loan capacity, usually you do not know who you are loaning to. A while ago I stumbled upon an on-line organization which matches donations with those needing them in a wonderful way. At Kiva, you pick the specific person or group you want to help. Each has a profile so you know who they are, where they live, what their life is like, how much they need and what they need the money for. You can donate in increments of $25 and even see how much they have raised so far. And here's the best part. The loans are due within one year, you can watch as they repay, and you get your money back! While you always have the option to take that money out, I believe the exciting part is that you can use those same funds to simply re-loan to another person.

This year our family voted on what to do with a small jar of charity money we had accumulated throughout the year. We chose to give it to Kiva. Together we read through many deserving candidates and voted to sponsor an industrious single mom in Tanzania. 26 different lenders helped raise the $825 she needed to buy a second sewing machine and supplies for her small tailoring business. It will be exciting for us to watch as she succeeds in moving forward and repaying her loan. We look forward to using that same money to sponsor another next year. I love how this is connecting my children to someone across the world in such dramatically different circumstances than ours. For us, this is win/win!

For more information about Kiva, go to http://www.kiva.org/.