When I was first assigned to Newark for my Kiva fellowship, I didn’t know what to expect. I live in Manhattan and up until that point the only time I had been to Newark was to go to the airport. My first introduction to the real Newark was through a group of local organizations that serve as trustees with Kiva Zip. Kiva Zip trustees are responsible for sourcing Kiva Zip borrowers, reviewing their business and personal finances, vouching for their character, and publicly endorsing them on the Kiva Zip website. I met with a number of trustees in my first couple... Continue Reading >>
Sara was born and raised in Lexington, Massachusetts and graduated with her BA in International Affairs and Spanish from The University of New Hampshire. Starting with an exchange trip to Costa Rica in high school, Sara fell in love with traveling and has since spent time in Central and South America, Europe and Southeast Asia. After graduating from college, Sara worked for four years at EF Foundation for Foreign Study, a global nonprofit organization dedicated to promoting international education and fostering cultural awareness through student exchange. Currently living in New York City and studying at Columbia’s School of International and Public Affairs, Sara plans to pursue a career in international development with a focus on the alleviation of poverty through the innovation and creativity of affected individuals and communities. She is thrilled to be working as a Kiva Zip Fellow this summer and looks forward to contributing to the success of this new initiative.
Fellows Blog Posts by Sara Arnoudse
Aug 15, 2013
United States
When I was first assigned to Newark for my Kiva fellowship, I didn’t know what to expect. I live in Manhattan and up until that point the only time I had been to Newark was to go to the airport. My first introduction to the real Newark was through a group of local organizations that serve as trustees with Kiva Zip. Kiva Zip trustees are responsible for sourcing Kiva Zip borrowers, reviewing their business and personal finances, vouching for their character, and publicly endorsing them on the Kiva Zip website. I met with a number of trustees in my first couple... Continue Reading >>
When I was first assigned to Newark for my Kiva fellowship, I didn’t know what to expect. I live in Manhattan and up until that point the only time I had been to Newark was to go to the airport. My first introduction to the real Newark was through a group of local organizations that serve as trustees with Kiva Zip. Kiva Zip trustees are responsible for sourcing Kiva Zip borrowers, reviewing their business and personal finances, vouching for their character, and publicly endorsing them on the Kiva Zip website. I met with a number of trustees in my first couple... Continue Reading >>
Aug 9, 2013
Global Update
Prior to becoming a Kiva Zip fellow, I had not seen examples of microlending in the U.S. and initially questioned what kind of impact a Kiva microloan could have here compared to countries in which a dollar stretches much further. However, after serving three months as a fellow in Newark, NJ, I have seen first-hand the power each Kiva Zip loan has. While creative and determined small business owners abound in this country, 3,000 of them are turned down for loans by banks every day. The need for capital is great and Kiva Zip provides a platform to meet it. Beyond the... Continue Reading >>
Prior to becoming a Kiva Zip fellow, I had not seen examples of microlending in the U.S. and initially questioned what kind of impact a Kiva microloan could have here compared to countries in which a dollar stretches much further. However, after serving three months as a fellow in Newark, NJ, I have seen first-hand the power each Kiva Zip loan has. While creative and determined small business owners abound in this country, 3,000 of them are turned down for loans by banks every day. The need for capital is great and Kiva Zip provides a platform to meet it. Beyond the... Continue Reading >>
Jul 22, 2013
United States
Jessie Goldenberg, owner of Nomad: The Wandering Fashion Boutique, is used to assisting the large crowd of customers her popular mobile fashion truck usually draws. However, this past Monday she was more than happy to provide a personal shopping session to one customer in particular: Newark, New Jersey Mayor Cory Booker. Booker was on hand to launch Newark as an official Kiva City and spent about ten minutes after the announcement checking out Jessie’s wares. Booker is known as both a champion of...
Continue Reading >>