I’ve done it! I’ve lent to more than 50 people on Kiva.org, and I highly recommend it. What a fantastic way to help people improve their lives—with dignity. You can check out our lender page to see some of the available loans on Kiva. And then please, sign in and make your own loan if you can! It’s only $25 to help someone change their life! 5 years ago

Sanu Maharjan

Siah Bangura

Saturday Ulebor

Fatima Abou Leila

Rubina Bibi

Zaitooni Bibi

Alisher Musoev5 years ago

Last week I lent to four more people:

Sarah Kizza’s Group

Musawa Women’s Group

Oluchi Erekaye

Hagah Boateng

Check out my lender page here.5 years ago

Today I did our first Ugandan loan, to Grace Wampamba. He had a lovely write-up that I encourage you to read if you get a chance. 5 years ago

I did another one today, to Eusebia Gertrudis Choque Pampa. I love the look of pride on the man’s face. As I write this, this couple is still raising funds. Please go donate $25 if you can. 5 years ago

I did three more loans yesterday, bringing my total to 26 (27 counting the one I did for work).

Meet my latest borrowers:

María Ruíz

Remigia Tillería

Andrea Primera5 years ago

I did another loan. Could NOT resist this smile!5 years ago

I’m so excited I’m about to BURST. A few weeks ago, I went to our company’s HR person, asking her if I could start a Kiva lending group at my company. She told me to go right ahead, but I asked her if she could clear it first with the Powers That Be, just to make sure it was OK.

Well, the Powers That Be were so happy with Kiva, that they agreed to match ALL donations our employees make. YAY!!!!!! I’m so happy I’m about to BURST. Today was the day we kicked it off, and I’ve already had $100 pledged (that’s $200 really). We’re not a huge company, so my goal is $1000, which I’m fairly confident we can do.

So, uh, my loan for this week obviously went there. My lender page says 22, but I’ve really done 23. ;) 5 years ago

We lent to Cirila Bitte Galindo Ylaquita From the Kiva.org website: For many years, she has dedicated herself to making decorations and other items for campaigns or seasonal celebrations. As the Christmas season is approaching, the most-demanded work will be paper crowns made for saint’s day festivals, widely celebrated in her country, where diverse customs are celebrated. Cirila’s wish is to increase the quantity of her production, and for this she needs raw materials. That is why she is seeking this loan of $200 that she will invest in her small business that is so busy during these months.5 years ago

I like craftsmen, I’ve decided. People who work with materials. Today I saw two on Kiva that called out to me and they were both craftsmen.

Yaovi Richard Segniga is a carpenter from Togo. To quote from Kiva: “However, the regularity of this income depends on a steady supply of wood and on having modern tools and machines so that he can fill orders in a timely fashion.

“For this reason, Mr. Segniga is asking for a loan of US$ 1000 to purchase wood and appropriate tools and machines. This will allow him to be certain of a steady income so that he can better cater for the needs of his family and improve their standard of living.” That sounds reasonable. I want that bed he has in the picture! By the way, as I write this, Mr. Segniga still needs funds, so go give him some if you can. :)

My other loan is Henry Obi a metal worker from Nigeria. I LOVE the doors and gates he displays in his photo. 5 years ago

Victoria Zorida Vilca Torres is a pharmacist and OB/GYN in Peru. This one was very, very easy for me to donate to! :o) 5 years ago

I need to quit going to the Kiva site because I’m maxed out on donations until Monday at least and it seem that every time I go there I see someone else I want to lend to. That said, I HAD to lend to these two individuals; there was something about them that spoke to me.

Charity Isagha

Abdul Jalloh

So that’s it. Feel free to take a look at my lender page5 years ago

I just lent to a cobbler in Bolivia, Juan Sinani5 years ago

I lent to three more entrepreneurs this weekend, bringing the total to 15. My mom belatedly gave me some money for my birthday, and I put that toward new loans. That’s a great use of birthday money, huh?

You can check out our updated lender page here5 years ago

She needed a refrigerator for selling cold drinks to people. That just made a lot of sense to me. This lady SHOULD HAVE A REFRIGERATOR!!

I also links to Kiva on my blog, and on the most visited pages on my website, I hope it helps. I know I’ll probably never find out if someone lends to a person they see on my site, but I’m really hoping it helps. 5 years ago

I did one more last night. We almost lent to a gentleman from Azerbaijan the other night, but decided to go with the woman from Cambodia instead. This gentleman, Oruj Safarov, still hasn’t been funded, so I decided to do my part. Can you spare $25 to help him out? He sounds like a hardworker.5 years ago

We’re up to 10 now!

We chose our traditional weekly one, Kim Khun from Cambodia, who wants to borrow money to purchase a rice huller.

Later in the evening I saw a gentleman from Lebanon, Fadi Dahcha, who owns a restaurant and makes some of my husband’s favorite foods. Snapped him up for that reason alone. :)

Don’t forget…it only costs $25 to make a difference, and let me tell you what—it’s FUN!!

kiva.org5 years ago

Oh, this is FUN! Two of my businesses have made payments on their loans. How COOL. For some reason, it didn’t really enter my mind that they’d actually be paying the loan BACK. LOL! It’s really neat, though, because it makes me feel that they’re successful since they’re able to start making payments. Yay! 5 years ago

I did another one today. This one was to a lady in Vietnam, Nguyen Thi Song who runs a waste recycling business. Come on! How could I resist that? She’s trying to improve her situation and improve the environment at the same time. Yay! 5 years ago

I did it again! This time to a blacksmith from Ecuador. I LOVE the smell of blacksmithing. Is that weird? Whenever we go to a festival where they have a blacksmith, I always love to catch a whiff of the fumes. Anyway, here he is, Carlos Castillo

As I write this, he’s still raising funds, so please go chip in $25 if you can! 5 years ago

I added another loan today. Just a guy that I’d noticed on the site a few times, Bernardo Solís. I became deeply interested in making sure he got funded, then I realized I should help fund him myself! So, I did. 5 years ago

We lent to number 5 on Wednesday. This time I let my husband pick it out so he can have some fun as well. He chose a lovely couple from Cambodia: http://www.kiva.org/app.php?page=businesses&action=about&id=19444 5 years ago

I’ll admit I’m a little obsessed with Kiva. I go on there a couple of times a day, just to see the new businesses that have been posted. Last night, I went on there and was sucked in. Initially I resisted Monica Wanja Mwangi. I told myself I’d already lent to someone in Kenya and I really should lend to a man next time since I already had two women. Then, she disappeared, seemingly fully funded and I was really disappointed that I wouldn’t be seeing her smiling face in my portfolio. Not to mention the tomatoes. Check her out here and tell me if you’d be able to resist: http://www.kiva.org/app.php?page=businesses&action=about&id=18258

She reappeared moments later and I immediately hit “Lend $25.” Bam! And now I’m at loan number 4. Only 46 more to go. ;) 5 years ago

I did another Kiva.org loan today to a woman named Rhoda Iseren Etyang. Her story touched my heart. She’s a mother of four from Kenya whose husband recently died of HIV/AIDS. She’s a fishmonger and has been able to support her family through this business. I’m glad we got a chance to help her out because I imagine her life must be pretty difficult. 5 years ago

My husband and I decided that for every week we didn’t eat out, we’d donate $25 to kiva.org, which is a company that offers loans to people in lesser developed nations so they can start their own business or expand/enhance their existing one. It’s pretty amazing to think that if we don’t eat out we can make a substantial difference in someone’s like. It’s no contest, you know?

So far, we’ve made two microloans. Only 48 more to go! 5 years ago