Kiva's Jessica Hansen explains how to use microfinance to lend a little and help a lot. Learn how to do more with your money and make a sustainable impact.
My 10th anniversary on Kiva
This morning I received an email in my inbox from Kiva that reminded me today marks my 10th anniversary since joining the incredible microfinancing online platform. To celebrate, I made my 2500th loan which went to the Sreyhach's Group in Cambodia. Sreyhach makes a living cultivating rice and she does extra works as a farmer to support her family. In her village there is no reliable access to safe, clean drinking water. Having a water filter at home will help Sreyhach safeguard the health of her family, save money on medical expenses and save time collecting fuel and boiling water. We are truly blessed living in the US and it is hard to imagine living in Cambodia where you are lucky to make $1/day. In addition, imagine a life where you have no clean water. I dream of a day that everyone around the world has access to clean water and at least their basic needs met.
5 reasons why I enjoy making loans on Kiva
Almost 10 years ago in October 2007, I made my first loan on Kiva.org whose mission is to connect people through lending to alleviate poverty. My loan was to Mrs. Doung in Cambodia who needed $1,200 to purchase a motor-bike to transport her children to work. She was earning just $4.80/day in revenue and her husband was earnings $3.60/day. Such is life in the developing world and they were probably considered lucky earning more than $1/day;. In the end she made her payments on time and 20 months later, her loan was paid off in full. Since then I have made 2410 more loans in 79 countries around the world and I have enjoyed helping entrepreneurs grow their businesses and help their families in the process. It is thrilling to know that Kiva just passed an unbelievable milestone — Kiva lenders created over $1 billion in loans! I'm honored that I could be a part of it. Here are 5 reasons why I enjoy making loans on Kiva.