My March loan recient has been making her regularly scheduled payments to Kiva, which have been going back into my account. Rather than wait until my current loanee has paid back her loan, I went ahead, it being the first of the month and part of the 43-Day Plan, and made another loan. This one went to Zaida Ximena, a young woman living in La Paz, Bolivia, who requested the money to make structual improvements to her small food stall. Her online story reads:

“22-year old Sra. Zaida is single and earns her living selling breakfast items such as coffee, herbal teas, and sandwiches at one of the markets in the El Tejar area. This will be her first loan with the institution, and she plans to use the money to buy construction materials and improve her stall so that it attracts more customers. She doesn’t have enough money of her own to buy the materials.”

“One of the challenges that Zaida faces is competition in the market for breakfasts. She will use the profit she makes as working capital and to make improvements to her stall. One day she hopes to buy another stall and expand her business. “

I’m a tiny bit skeptical about this one, since the photo attatched to this “22 year old’s” biography is time-stamped 10/11/2006. Maybe it is just that someone doesn’t know how to update the camera, or thought it wasn’t important. I was attracted to the group who disperses the money because they offer a lot of loan services, including housing loans, salary loans, “opportunity” (short-term) loans, and higher education loans. I also like that they offer free medical consultations and health classes given by trained doctors. When was the last time your bank arranged for you to have a free doctor’s exam, or sponsored a health class and invited you? In a country where a $900 loan for construction material constitutes about 1/3 the population’s average per person annual income, it is important to me that the lender be invested in the community in a positive and helpful way. 11 months ago

I found I had $50.45 repaid back so I got on to Kiva and loaned out the money to two more borrowers. One is a lady in the Phillipines who has been operating a store for 3 years and wants to expand. The other is a lady in Mexico who is part of a group of merchants with different businesses, also borrowing to run their store. 11 months ago

I’m making a Kiva loan to Lidia Elizabeth Leon Ulon to help her buy flour, eggs and milk for her bread baking business. She lived in Ecuador and owns her business, supporting two assistants. My contribution bring the subsidizing of her prepaid load to 20%. In a place where the annual income in below $5,000, she is seeking a fairly large sum to improve her business. Right now I think big dreams should be supported. The organization that loaned her the money has a reputation for making micro loans in regions where banks will not traditionally go, and lending to people outside the comfort zone of banks. The organization is rated one of the best micro-lenders in Latin America, and all borrowers and their dependents receive mandatory health and life insurance (not clear on whether this is provided gratis or the borrowers are charged). 14 months ago

I’m making a new Kiva loan to María Hermelinda Siancas Collao, a woman living in Ascope, Peru. I was going to try a find someone in Asia to make a loan to, but I saw this young woman’s profile and found her goal and ambition intruiging.

María is 25 years old, single, and lives with her mother and her two siblings. She has her own house, which is located in the rural zone of the district of Chocope, La Libertad department.

María sells fresh cow milk, which she has been doing for two years. She makes most of her sales in the area where she lives, to her friends and acquaintances, as well as in the district of Paijan.

María is requesting a loan of 1,500 nuevos soles from Edpyme Alternativa in order to buy a motocarguero (a motorcycle with a cabin for transporting things), which she will use to transport her milk more easily.

María has good references from her neighbors and people who know her, as they describe her as a hard-working and responsible person.

Because of my recent work with the farm and my playing around with raw milk, I’m interested in seeing this young woman realize her plans. I also think it is cool that she is making a long term investment in a motocarguero and I like to imagine her puttering from house to house, racks laden with fresh milk.

My contribution brings her to within $50 of having the loan fully funded. The loan has already been dispursed by Edpyme Alternativa, the Kiva field partner, so maybe she even already has her motocarguero (you can see one behind her in the photo). Looking at my own resources, I might go back and finish funding her loan to help make up for how lazy I’ve been on this goal. 21 months ago