Join Kiva’s Global COVID‑19 Response
I know I have written about Kiva many times on my blog. There are two reasons I keep doing it. First, I do believe that most of us (friends, family, and co-workers living in Europe, the US, and similar places) can spare $10, $25, or $100 to help people improve their lives through entrepreneurship. Lending a few bucks we can actually make a difference in someone else’s life for the better. Second, I have made it part of my annual goals to keep talking (and writing) about Kiva’s initiatives as well as the opportunities to join their cause. A cause I believe we can make ours too.
In difficult times we have the chance to come together no matter where we are or what our story is. We can commit as much or as little of our time as we want, but we are able to do something. Some people can (and want to) physically move to a location to donate their talents to help others. They give their time, energy, and labor to different causes that feel close to them. Some people (e.g. me) want to find simple ways to help and have an impact that’s consistent and independent of life circumstances and/or location. Today, it’s easier than ever to do either of those. Thanks to the Internet and initiatives like Kiva.org make it possible for everyone to be part of the solution. Even if it is with a small contribution of our time and resources.
I’m as sick and tired of the words COVID-19 as the next person, but today I wanted to share with you a special program that Kiva has put in place in order to help those who have been affected by the pandemic: The Global COVID‑19 Response. If this is the first time you’re reading about Kiva, I want to let you know this is not a donation system. The money you contribute is used to create micro-loans that will support people’s projects and they will work to return that money to you with interests. Kiva’s repayment rate is 96.8%!
I have personally lent to 15 borrowers in 10 different countries over the past 3 years. For the majority of that time I had no steady income, no great salary, no savings, and some credit card debt. It was not an ideal situation; it wasn’t easy and comfy to set some money aside to “give away,” but that is precisely the beauty if this system. With platforms like Kiva you can really make a difference in the lives of people who are truly struggling; in places where conditions are really challenging, all with small amounts of money. This is a great way to maximize your impact with minimum effort.
My call to action as usual is: if you have a few dollars to spare, if you can somehow share your good fortune, or if you know someone who can, please go to (or share the link) https://www.kiva.org/, pick a loan from a project, a person, or a location that feels right to you and lend them the opportunity to carry out their ideas. 96.8% of the times you’ll get your money back and then some.
Thank for reading,
Juan.
