With all that's happening with our economy and world politics, it's easy to lose sight of how fortunate we truly are. Times aren't great, for sure. But, compared to many others we are favored beyond measure. Something I read today reminded me of that, which prompts me to write about http://www.kiva.org/
Kiva.org is a non-profit that provides micro-loans to people throughout the world. The loans go to entrepreneurs who work hard under tough circumstances to provide for their families and their communities. $500 may not seem like a lot of money for a 'business loan', but it can literally change people's lives.
The loans are funded in small amounts ($25) by many people, so no one bears any unreasonable risk if the loans default. Once the loan is repaid, you can re-lend the money to another entrepreneur. I've been lending to Kiva for 18+ months and have never had anyone default, so I've been able to lend the same funds several times. If you wish, you can make a donation in someone's name, or give them a gift card so they can choose who receives the loans. Makes a great holiday gift.
I've added the Kiva.org feed to the right side of the page, which shows three current loan requests. To learn more about those entrepreneurs, or thousands of others, click away. I know there are many ways to be charitable, I hope you consider http://www.kiva.org/ when looking to give.
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LOVE KIVA -- last year our staff donated to the charity of our choice instead of buying us holiday gifts and that coupled with some other fundraising has given us $150 in our Kiva account. In less than on year we have helped to fund SIXTEEN loans. I can't say enough good things about it!
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