Last Sunday I was having afternoon tea downtown with some friends of mine who I haven’t seen in a while. As the afternoon went on the conversation took an interesting turn towards something that intrigued my thinkGood. mind. My friend started telling me about her husband and his participation in a project called Kiva. She went on to explain that people around the world, through micro-financing, can help entrepreneurs in developing countries finance their business plan. As the business progresses, the loan is paid back.
The thing that I like about Kiva is that some of their fundamental principles are to be accountable, transparent, and to promote relationship building and dignity between partners. Often times as a donor you wonder where your money is actually going, and how much of it really gets to the receiving end. Also, on the recipient’s side it allows them to gain a sense of empowerment, as they get to re-pay the loan and take ownership for their accomplishments.
Here are some of Kiva’s beliefs and what Kiva promotes:
Kiva was born of the following beliefs:
- People are by nature generous, and will help others if given the opportunity to do so in a transparent, accountable way.
- The poor are highly motivated and can be very successful when given an opportunity.
- By connecting people we can create relationships beyond financial transactions, and build a global community expressing support and encouragement of one another.
Kiva promotes:
- Dignity: Kiva encourages partnership relationships as opposed to benefactor relationships. Partnership relationships are characterized by mutual dignity and respect.
- Accountability: Loans encourage more accountability than donations where repayment is not expected.
- Transparency: The Kiva website is an open platform where communication can flow freely around the world
To learn more about Kiva please visit their website http://www.kiva.org/about
thinkGood. Lingo:
Microfinance: is the provision of financial services to low-income clients, including consumers and the self-employed, who traditionally lack access to banking and related services.
More broadly, it is a movement whose object is “a world in which as many poor and near-poor households as possible have permanent access to an appropriate range of high quality financial services, including not just credit but also savings, insurance, and fund transfers.” Those who promote microfinance generally believe that such access will help poor people out of poverty. -Wikipedia
Do Good, Feel Good, Live Good
-Team thinkGood.
Tags: Kiva, Loans that Save Lives