Blog posts tagged with Stories from the Field
For almost two years, Kiva has been working with field partners in Mongolia! This month we will be highlighting our partners and clients in the country through the Passport Series. Mongolia is a country in Northern Asia surrounded by Russia and China. It is slightly smaller than Alaska and has a population around 3 million.
Mongolians are traditionally nomadic families who live in "gers" (circular... Continue Reading >>
Monrovia, Liberia
My first thought upon arrival in Monrovia, Liberia, in August 2009 for my Kiva Fellowship was, “Wow, such colors and amazing stories! I should make a movie for those who aren’t as lucky as I am to have this experience.”
So what you have here is just that: an attempt to bring everyone along with me on my amazing 3-month journey to understand, at the most basic-level, exactly how microfinance works and the social impact it has on both borrowers’ and lenders’... Continue Reading >>
Juhudi Kilimo, Kenya
Juhudi Kilimo CFO: "Kevin, when you’re out in Litein, make sure you ear-tag at least one cow for our Micro Insurance program.
Me: "Ummm yea, I may pass on that one, but I’ll think about it."
Microfinance… To most people this word is synonymous with providing small loans to very low-income entrepreneurs... Continue Reading >>
By Beth Ritchey, Kiva Fellows 10th Class, Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia
Yes, it might be the dead of winter in Mongolia, with temperatures hovering around -30 degrees Fahrenheit, but the loan products here have been turning green. Thanks to the hard work of the Eco Products Team at XacBank in Mongolia, Kiva lenders saw an introduction of 3 new types of personal consumption ‘green loans’ in December 2009:- Energy Efficient Stoves
- Ger (yurt) covers
- Energy efficient fuel
Currently around... Continue Reading >>
“Of our 25 national offices, 60% (15 offices) are operating under completely normal conditions. Of the rest, 5 offices are operating in a state of emergency, since they lack electricity and basic services, and the remaining 5 offices (20%) are not operating because they are located in the area of the catastrophe (Regions VII and VIII).
In regards to the Fondo Esperanza... Continue Reading >>
Kiva currently has one field partner in Chile, Fondo Esperanza. We have not yet been able to contact the staff at Fondo Esperanza. Many of the telecommunication systems in Chile appear to be struggling, so it has been difficult to obtain information. We do know that in the Maule region, near the epicenter of the earthquake, Fondo Esperanza has many... Continue Reading >>
Most houses in Cusco are built of clay and straw adobe bricks; many of these homes were destroyed or severely... Continue Reading >>
Kiva is sharing messages from our Field Partners in the affected areas as we receive them. Today we received a message from Alalay sa Kaunlaran, Inc. (ASKI), who have many clients affected by the floods. At this stage we do not have details on the number of Kiva clients affected (all Kiva Field Partners work with clients funded by Kiva as well as clients funded by other sources.)
... Continue Reading >>
Yesterday we received an update from SPBD on the situation they are experiencing. Today Agnes posted the first blog of her fellowship, to Kiva Stories from the Field, sharing the unexpected experience of her first days in Samoa:
... Continue Reading >>
Audrey Scott and Daniel Noll are two world travelers documenting their journey through The Americas on their website Uncornered Market. On the way they have been volunteering with Kiva's media program, meeting with and capturing images of Kiva Entrepreneurs to help tell their stories.
Earlier this year Audrey and Daniel visited Juan and Magda, two microloan recipients in Guatemala, who allowed them to tour their workspaces for their weaving and candle-... Continue Reading >>
The Nepalese people mostly practise a mixture of Hinduism and Buddhism and the countryside and sky high mountains are dotted with the colourful Tibetan prayer flags that float freely in the cool Himalayan breeze (such as... Continue Reading >>
What if clients could make payments on loans through their phones? That's what two Kiva partners, Tujijenge in Tanzania and the... Continue Reading >>
PDS Extraordinaire Rico Munoz recently put together this map that shows all of Kiva's partners in the Philippines and where Kiva loans are having an effect. As you can see, your generous support is helping microentrepreneurs all across this wonderful country. So once again, on behalf of our Filipino partners, Rico... Continue Reading >>
Kiva Fellow Sarah Forbes recently facilitated a shoot in Tanzaniza for a BBC documentary series that includes Kiva. The shoot involved interviews with Kiva Entrepreneurs at Tujijenge. She wrote about her experience:
You can never quite be sure what requests you might receive as a Kiva Fellow, and the call I received from Kiva's Public Relations Director, Fiona Ramsey, was one of theose unexpected requests. She let me know that the BBC was putting together a television series on social enterprise...
Continue Reading >>With the signing of Kiva's 8th partner in the Philippines, I wanted to take this opportunity to thank you all for making our expansion into the country possible. In the past 9 months since the first Filipino loan was posted to Kiva, you all have lent over $1 million USD to support Filipino microentrepreneurs. It is because of your support that Kiva has been able to expand so quickly in the country to support the working poor. On behalf of our Filipino partners... Continue Reading >>
"Business success is often a mystery. Very often, luck is a big part of it. Often it's skill. Sometimes it's just plain sweat and perseverance. Micro-entrepreneurs are no different, and while we can sometimes guess at why one entrepreneur can be so successful as to expand their business and hire employees whereas others do not, often, it's simply a mystery.
When I first met Adora Fajiculay I'd I'd invited myself into her workspace after seeing the most fantastic gown on display there. I learned she made the dress from pandan... Continue Reading >>
“I want the Kiva lenders to know that I only borrow what I need, not what I can.”
These words really took me by surprise, when I visited Kiva Enterpreneur Borya Enhbat a few weeks ago. Of all the messages he could have asked me to pass on to Kiva Lenders, this was most important to him.
At first I wondered if this comment came from his feeling apologetic to Kiva Lenders for needing to borrow their money, and wanting to make sure that they knew it was an act of necessity, not luxury.
But as I got to know him better, I realized that this wasn’t about his... Continue Reading >>
In many cases, it's a Kiva Fellow.
Kiva Fellows are a crucial part of making Kiva work, working with Kiva's Field Partners on the ground, and meeting with Kiva Entrepreneurs.
We are now accepting applications for the... Continue Reading >>
During her time in the Kiva office she caught some candid moments in the Kiva office on her video camera, and has put together this fairly hilarious video of some of the staff and volunteers at Kiva:
We thought it was a pretty funny look at ourselves, and a great visualization of Cissy's move from San Francisco to Indonesia to start her Fellowship. Read Cissy's full blogpost here. Continue Reading >>
Kiva’s first partner in Liberia is called Liberian Enterprise Assistance Program, or LEAP. The logo demonstrates that this acronym is not a lucky mistake, but an intentional choice to demonstrate that with a micro-loan from LEAP – you can leap into a better life!
Liberia is freshly recovering from two major wars that finally came to an end in 2003. The wars created serious problems with the infrastructure... Continue Reading >>
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Blog posts tagged with Stories from the Field
For almost two years, Kiva has been working with field partners in Mongolia! This month we will be highlighting our partners and clients in the country through the Passport Series. Mongolia is a country in Northern Asia surrounded by Russia and China. It is slightly smaller than Alaska and has a population around 3 million.
Mongolians are traditionally nomadic families who live in "gers" (circular... Continue Reading >>
Monrovia, Liberia
My first thought upon arrival in Monrovia, Liberia, in August 2009 for my Kiva Fellowship was, “Wow, such colors and amazing stories! I should make a movie for those who aren’t as lucky as I am to have this experience.”
So what you have here is just that: an attempt to bring everyone along with me on my amazing 3-month journey to understand, at the most basic-level, exactly how microfinance works and the social impact it has on both borrowers’ and lenders’... Continue Reading >>
Juhudi Kilimo, Kenya
Juhudi Kilimo CFO: "Kevin, when you’re out in Litein, make sure you ear-tag at least one cow for our Micro Insurance program.
Me: "Ummm yea, I may pass on that one, but I’ll think about it."
Microfinance… To most people this word is synonymous with providing small loans to very low-income entrepreneurs... Continue Reading >>
By Beth Ritchey, Kiva Fellows 10th Class, Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia
Yes, it might be the dead of winter in Mongolia, with temperatures hovering around -30 degrees Fahrenheit, but the loan products here have been turning green. Thanks to the hard work of the Eco Products Team at XacBank in Mongolia, Kiva lenders saw an introduction of 3 new types of personal consumption ‘green loans’ in December 2009:- Energy Efficient Stoves
- Ger (yurt) covers
- Energy efficient fuel
Currently around... Continue Reading >>
“Of our 25 national offices, 60% (15 offices) are operating under completely normal conditions. Of the rest, 5 offices are operating in a state of emergency, since they lack electricity and basic services, and the remaining 5 offices (20%) are not operating because they are located in the area of the catastrophe (Regions VII and VIII).
In regards to the Fondo Esperanza... Continue Reading >>
Kiva currently has one field partner in Chile, Fondo Esperanza. We have not yet been able to contact the staff at Fondo Esperanza. Many of the telecommunication systems in Chile appear to be struggling, so it has been difficult to obtain information. We do know that in the Maule region, near the epicenter of the earthquake, Fondo Esperanza has many... Continue Reading >>
Most houses in Cusco are built of clay and straw adobe bricks; many of these homes were destroyed or severely... Continue Reading >>
Kiva is sharing messages from our Field Partners in the affected areas as we receive them. Today we received a message from Alalay sa Kaunlaran, Inc. (ASKI), who have many clients affected by the floods. At this stage we do not have details on the number of Kiva clients affected (all Kiva Field Partners work with clients funded by Kiva as well as clients funded by other sources.)
... Continue Reading >>
Yesterday we received an update from SPBD on the situation they are experiencing. Today Agnes posted the first blog of her fellowship, to Kiva Stories from the Field, sharing the unexpected experience of her first days in Samoa:
... Continue Reading >>
Audrey Scott and Daniel Noll are two world travelers documenting their journey through The Americas on their website Uncornered Market. On the way they have been volunteering with Kiva's media program, meeting with and capturing images of Kiva Entrepreneurs to help tell their stories.
Earlier this year Audrey and Daniel visited Juan and Magda, two microloan recipients in Guatemala, who allowed them to tour their workspaces for their weaving and candle-... Continue Reading >>
The Nepalese people mostly practise a mixture of Hinduism and Buddhism and the countryside and sky high mountains are dotted with the colourful Tibetan prayer flags that float freely in the cool Himalayan breeze (such as... Continue Reading >>
What if clients could make payments on loans through their phones? That's what two Kiva partners, Tujijenge in Tanzania and the... Continue Reading >>
PDS Extraordinaire Rico Munoz recently put together this map that shows all of Kiva's partners in the Philippines and where Kiva loans are having an effect. As you can see, your generous support is helping microentrepreneurs all across this wonderful country. So once again, on behalf of our Filipino partners, Rico... Continue Reading >>
Kiva Fellow Sarah Forbes recently facilitated a shoot in Tanzaniza for a BBC documentary series that includes Kiva. The shoot involved interviews with Kiva Entrepreneurs at Tujijenge. She wrote about her experience:
You can never quite be sure what requests you might receive as a Kiva Fellow, and the call I received from Kiva's Public Relations Director, Fiona Ramsey, was one of theose unexpected requests. She let me know that the BBC was putting together a television series on social enterprise...
Continue Reading >>With the signing of Kiva's 8th partner in the Philippines, I wanted to take this opportunity to thank you all for making our expansion into the country possible. In the past 9 months since the first Filipino loan was posted to Kiva, you all have lent over $1 million USD to support Filipino microentrepreneurs. It is because of your support that Kiva has been able to expand so quickly in the country to support the working poor. On behalf of our Filipino partners... Continue Reading >>
"Business success is often a mystery. Very often, luck is a big part of it. Often it's skill. Sometimes it's just plain sweat and perseverance. Micro-entrepreneurs are no different, and while we can sometimes guess at why one entrepreneur can be so successful as to expand their business and hire employees whereas others do not, often, it's simply a mystery.
When I first met Adora Fajiculay I'd I'd invited myself into her workspace after seeing the most fantastic gown on display there. I learned she made the dress from pandan... Continue Reading >>
“I want the Kiva lenders to know that I only borrow what I need, not what I can.”
These words really took me by surprise, when I visited Kiva Enterpreneur Borya Enhbat a few weeks ago. Of all the messages he could have asked me to pass on to Kiva Lenders, this was most important to him.
At first I wondered if this comment came from his feeling apologetic to Kiva Lenders for needing to borrow their money, and wanting to make sure that they knew it was an act of necessity, not luxury.
But as I got to know him better, I realized that this wasn’t about his... Continue Reading >>
In many cases, it's a Kiva Fellow.
Kiva Fellows are a crucial part of making Kiva work, working with Kiva's Field Partners on the ground, and meeting with Kiva Entrepreneurs.
We are now accepting applications for the... Continue Reading >>
During her time in the Kiva office she caught some candid moments in the Kiva office on her video camera, and has put together this fairly hilarious video of some of the staff and volunteers at Kiva:
We thought it was a pretty funny look at ourselves, and a great visualization of Cissy's move from San Francisco to Indonesia to start her Fellowship. Read Cissy's full blogpost here. Continue Reading >>
Kiva’s first partner in Liberia is called Liberian Enterprise Assistance Program, or LEAP. The logo demonstrates that this acronym is not a lucky mistake, but an intentional choice to demonstrate that with a micro-loan from LEAP – you can leap into a better life!
Liberia is freshly recovering from two major wars that finally came to an end in 2003. The wars created serious problems with the infrastructure... Continue Reading >>