Lyss C Global

18:47 28th Aug 2012

Notes: 33

Tags: kiva poverty electricity development africa

image: Download

‎600 million people in Sub-Saharan Africa live without electricity.

21:39 22nd Aug 2012

Notes: 14

Tags: poverty kiva muhammad yunus economics

Poverty is the absence of all human rights. The frustrations, hostility and anger generated by abject poverty cannot sustain peace in any society. For building stable peace we must find ways to provide opportunities for people to live decent lives.

— Muhammad Yunus

15:01 7th Jun 2012

Notes: 5

Tags: kiva poverty international development microfinance microcredit

image: Download

Small loans probably won’t lift people out of poverty or empower women. But that doesn’t mean they’re useless.

I think microcredit is about giving people an opportunity to lift themselves out of poverty. Sometimes they can, sometimes they can’t. No international development strategy is enough on its own, but at least microfinance allows people to have credit they normally wouldn’t and make their own decisions.

17:29 16th Aug 2011

Notes: 15

Tags: Ecuador Travel Kiva Amazon Galapagos

Passport Series: Ecuador: Part 1: Country Background

This month’s Passport Series focuses on Ecuador, thanks to your votes on Kiva’s Facebook page! Ecuador is a South American country with dynamic ecosystems, which are home to the Amazon Rainforest, Andean Mountain Range, Galápagos Islands, and Pacific Coastal region. Follow us throughout the month of August as we learn about Ecuador’s country profile, its microfinance sector, and the lives of its Kiva borrowers.
By: Alyssa McGarry

13:35 14th Jul 2011

Notes: 6

Tags: Kiva Microfinance Sustainable Tourism Costa Rica Peru Mexico

Exploring the Linkages Between Microfinance and Sustainable Tourism

by: http://lysscglobal.tumblr.com/

Kiva values being in tune with the latest trends! Being globally and culturally aware is important to our Kiva community and we want to explore the relationship between microfinance and sustainable tourism.

A large part of sustainable tourism is maximizing benefits for the local community. This includes advancing social, economic, cultural, and environmental impacts while minimizing negative impacts. Kiva represents a real opportunity for local tourism entrepreneurs in developing countries to be a part of this industry.

15:48 6th Jul 2011

Notes: 10

Tags: kiva loans banks finance microfinance

Anonymous asked: After reading one of your posts about Kiva a while back, I checked out the website for myself and I fell in love with the cause. I decided that for my birthday this year, instead of asking for gifts I'm going to ask for cash to loan to one or more people on the site. I'm a college student with health care, clothes, food, a computer... what else could I ask for?
So thank you for bringing this cause to my attention, I'm excited to help people who need a little cash!

Hey! Sounds like an awesome plan!! You can lend as little as $25, so you can find a few people you want to contribute to (depending on how much dinero you get from your parents). Or you can choose to lend a bigger chunk of cash to one person. There are student loans (more to come in Sept), green loans, loans for people with disabilities…. And after that, the borrower(s) will repay you and you can lend again! It’s the gift that keeps on giving! You should feel really good, these people have absolutely no access to credit. Personally, I couldn’t get through school without student loans so I know how important financial institutions can be to enhance someone life! The fun part is scrolling through all the different people to choose from and then getting updates about them after they use your contribution! Enjoy and let me know if you have any questions!

Peace,

Alyssa

23:27 29th Jun 2011

Notes: 12

Tags: Kiva Microlending Clinton News

From left to right: Anuja Jaitly from Michigan Corps, Gina Harmon from ACCION USA, President Clinton, Premal Shah from Kiva, and Doug Sabo from Visa.

Very exciting stuff! What an honor for Kiva to be on stage with President Clinton, so soon after we were just on stage with Muhammad Yunus. President Clinton actually honored Kiva by selecting it to be first out of all of the “Commitments to Action” announced at CGI America today, which is even more amazing.

09:46 26th Jun 2011

Notes: 4

Tags: mkaemingk microfinance kiva omidya poverty credit banks

What are your thoughts on Root Capital?

mkaemingk replied to your post: What are your thoughts on Root Capital?

I think their model is quite interesting. Organizations like them and Omidyar are attempting to fill the void between microcredit and traditional banking. I’m optimistic.

Yeah, I work at Kiva.org now - and our model is really quite amazing. Omidya is one of our funders, check out this blog post we put out. http://www.kiva.org/updates/kiva/2011/06/15/kiva-ecosystem-kiva-funder.html

I am optimistic too! I think microfinance orgs get a lot of heat in terms of whether or not they are a successful model to end poverty… but in my opinion we have to give it more time until we really know. Regardless, giving the ‘unbanked’ access to credit allows them to have a chance to change their life on their own terms.

http://lysscglobal.tumblr.com/post/5222728364/understanding-the-economics-of-the-worlds-poor

11:46 23rd Jun 2011

Notes: 5

Tags: natalie portman celebrity philanthropy charity poverty microfinance GOOD NYC events kiva

Natalie Portman Loves Kiva

Natalie Portman, actress extraordinare and vegan fashionista, can add more points to the cookie jar from me for being a supporter of one of my favorite social action organizations - Kiva! Kiva and GOOD Magazine hosted an event in NYC this week for over 350 people to bring awareness to Kiva’s mission to link up micro-lenders with micro-borrowers. They were joined by Portman, Adam Baruchowitz from Heeb Magazine, and documentary filmmaker Lee Hirsch.

Check out GOOD Magazine’s article about the event here, and to find out how to become a micro-lender for Kiva.

11:30

Tags: kiva mom mother mother's day philanthropy microfinance sierra leone africa

A Mother’s Lending Story: Inspiring Letter from Jane McIntosh

Check out the post I wrote and the image I created for Kiva’s blog!

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Jane McIntosh is from Pender Island, British Columbia. Her husband passed away two years ago and she has three daughters, Leslie, Lauren and Lisa. Leslie and her husband Ari, who live in Manhattan, gave Jane a Kiva Card for Mother’s Day!

Jane is currently volunteering as an Operating Room Sterilizer on the Africa Mercy - a floating hospital ship in Freetown, Sierra Leone. She will be positioned there through December, until they set sail to a new destination in West Africa.

Jane chose to use her Kiva Card to lend to an entrepreneur in Sierra Leone. Every week she passes through the streets and sees a variety of vendors. She was able to find a similar female borrower on Kiva.org and felt that it was akin to walking up and handing them a loan!

Many people can relate to Jane’s story. She mentioned, “As a woman from North America in my late fifties, I am not in need of a lot of “stuff” in my life. Kiva provides a wonderful way to receive a gift and give it onto others. With the high repayment ratio, it is a gift that can give over and over again. I love hearing how my gift is helping, and feel good knowing that in a small way, I am trying to help others.”

Share a Kiva Card with a loved one today at Kiva.org/gifts or Loan to an Entrepreneur at Kiva.org/lend!