Kiva Kiva Kiva

category: Life
by Kamael,

I just completed my 48th loan on Kiva. Now some of you may ask - why blog about the 48th, why not wait til the 50th loan? I’m not conventional like that.

Here are some of my kiva stats:

Total amount lent: $1,450
Total amount repaid: $1,017
Total amount lost (not repaid): $75

Before you give me much props for lending $1,450 of my shoe festish stash to the poor, let me correct you. I invested $500 in Kiva two and a half years ago. As borrowers repay, I’ve immediately reinvested the money in new borrowers. So my small little amount of $500 (the cost of these pair of shoes) has helped over 48 entrepreneurs in the third world.

That’s pretty darn cool.

Here’s my lending style:
- 95.8% of my loans are to women. Before you call me a man hater, let me explain. In the third world women tend to be more responsible with money than men. The spend on the household and the community vs. drinking and smoking. In addition, most men are often not at home (preferring to try and earn a living in more lucrative urban cities with better job markets).
- I’ve loaned to entrepreneurs in 19 countries: I’ve got a thing for Bolivia. Over 20% of my loans have gone there.
- Retail, Food & Agriculture: Most of my loans go to funding business in these three sectors. Agriculture funding is particularly interesting to me.

So after 2.5 years of lending, what do I like the most about Kiva?
- it’s easy. I mean real easy. You just create an account, put some money in it via Paypal, pick a lender and fund.
- it’s rewarding. Very rewarding. In one minute, I have made a difference in someone else’s life around the world
- it’s transparent. I know exactly who the loan is going to and what they plan to do with it.

What do I like the least?
- nothing.

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