KIVA

If you see me in a suit it generally means one of two things: I am going to a wedding or I am invited to an event with Bill Clinton.

The work I have done for Kiva, both as a lender and a blogger, has gotten some attention. My Kiva diaries are among the more popular ones I write. A little while back I was interviewed by BBC World News as a lender. And most recently, I was invited to a private panel discussion for the release of Bill Clinton’s latest Book, GIVING: How Each of Us Can Change the World. I do not have a copy of this book as of yet so this is not a book review, though that might come. Instead I want to discuss the event and some of the individuals and organizations that were highlighted.

Three people I have had previous contact with were on the panel: Bill Clinton himself, who I got to meet at a fundraiser for Christine Jennings, Majora Carter, an awesome NYC rising star, and Premal Shah, President of Kiva, the organization I have been working with that got me invited to the event. Rounding out the panel were Geoffrey Canada of Harlem Children’s Zone (which hosted the event), Mark Grashow of U.S. - Africa Children’s Fellowship and a 6 year old girl named Mackenzie who organized a beach cleanup for her birthday. The panel discussion was moderated by Tavis Smiley.

Well, I just had another moment of fame and I want to use it to highlight some cool development work.

My first moment of fame was when a Spanish film crew from Canal+ wanted to film my efforts to protest the Republican Convention in NYC in 2004. I was one of a few people highlighted in the documentary, including Amy Goodman and a graffiti artist. I hear the documentary was well-watched in Spain.

My second moment was when BBC radio contacted me about some pieces I wrote about Somalia (I think this article is one of the ones they had picked up on). They asked me to be on a radio call in show as one of four panelists. I have to say that I wasn't as good as I would have liked to be live on radio. But they must have thought I did okay because they asked me to be on again...stupidly I said "no."

This last week I had another encounter with BBC, this time an interview for television about Kiva microlending.

I have written about Kiva several times and I think each time I do, they get a burst of activity on their site. I am never sure how directly responsible I ever am for their sudden increase in traffic to their site, but I notice each time I write about them they start filling loans faster than usual. Kiva is aware of my efforts on their behalf and have been very grateful. And they have kept me in mind as one of their most enthusiastic participants.

Awhile ago I introduced the organization KIVA microlending to Culture Kitchen. KIVA a microlending agency that connects small businesses with small investors like you and me. KIVA works with local partner organizations to find businesses around the world that look promising and want loans to expand. Loans can be a few hundred dollars all the way up to a couple of thousand dollars. Investors like me can put as little as $25 into the pot and KIVA combines these small amounts of money until the loan is filled. They then disburse the money through their partner organizations and keep track as the business pays back the loan. When the loan is paid back you can either take back your money (you get no interest) or you can reloan to another business.

I started loaning to businesses through KIVA over a year ago. And I have felt like my loans have really made a difference to families around the world. I want to share with you one of the amazing success stories I have been a part of and I hope that it will inspire you to participate in KIVA's efforts.

Lakev Groceries is a small shop in Eregi, Kenya owned by Petronilla Shivachi, nicknamed "Betty" by her customers. Eregi is in Southwestern Kenya near the Kakamega forest. This forest is the last virgin rainforest left in Kenya and is part of the Lake Victoria catchment basin. This whole area's environment is endangered because of the drying up of the African lakes region. I should add that any success story in Eastern Africa is also endangered by the drying up of the African lakes region and the East African environment. As an aside to this diary I should add that the East African environment and economy depends on preserving these lakes and forests. To this end I always recommend people join me in supporting environmental efforts like those in the Albertine Rift Valley area and in the Kenya itself. And, since these lakes are bordered also by Uganda, preserving the environment in Uganda can also help the entire region. Again, the entire success story I am about to describe could be ruined by the environmental degradation of the East African Lakes region.

This is a message from a woman's coopertaive in Senegal that I have leant money to through the organization KIVA:

“We’ve taken many loans from other organizations, but we haven’t been able to save much because of the high interest rates and savings deposits that those loans required. This time is different, and I think that we’re going to make a good profit. SEM is the best lender of all.”

SEM is one of Kiva's many partner organizations that manage Kiva's microloans locally. Here is some background Kiva gives regarding its loans in Senegal:

Senegal is one of the world’s poorest countries, yet its solid democratic tradition and highly developed associational life distinguish it from other countries in its income group. Especially remarkable are Senegal’s networks of rotating savings and credit associations, known as tontines. Commonly organized by groups of twenty to thirty housewives who live in the same village, the tontines provide poor women throughout the country with small loans to finance modest income-generating activities. Repayment rates within these associations are excellent, because they are based on local reputation and personal trust between the members. However, their financial resources are limited to the contributions of their members, frequently subsistence farmers with very little disposable income. This has prevented the traditional tontines from meeting the demand for rural microenterprise loans and restricted their impact on the economic development of their communities. Senegal Ecovillage Microfinance (SEM) works with our partner organization CRESP to bridge this gap by linking traditional village credit associations with outside sources of finance.