Fellows Blog

Stories from the field

Stories tagged with Peru

Jul 7, 2010 PE Peru

By Lyel Resner, KF11 Peru

EDPYME Alternativa is a fast-groing microfinance provider based in Chiclayo – the commercial hub of Northern Peru.   Kiva´s low cost of capital has enabled EDPYME to expand their market and target extremely low-income borrowers. In fact, EDPYME has built a loan product exclusively for Kiva borrowers – Capital Semilla, or Seed Capital – designed to meet the needs of their poorest clients. Many in this client base are farmers – they use Capital Semilla loans of $200-$600 to buy crop seeds (no lack of irony here in...

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May 5, 2010 PE Peru

By David Connelly, KF10 Peru

I recently finished up in Ica, Peru and moved north to start my second fellowship in Barranquilla, Colombia. After I left, I combed through everything I grabbed over 12 weeks with my Kiva issue FlipCam to make a little going away video that I thought I’d share on the Fellows blog.

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Learn more about Caja Rural “Senor...

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Apr 4, 2010 BO Bolivia

By Sheethal Shobowale, KF10, Bolivia

Transportation has been an integral part of my travels in South America. I have been in cars, vans, buses, scooters, motorcycles, trains, boats, planes, even a bus transported by a boat and of course I have walked.

In many cities, walking (or running for exercise) is usually not the best option because you breathe in a ton of pollution from passing vehicles.  In cities, I’ve noticed and heard that Peruvians and Bolivians don’t walk much.

Public transport is popular because not many people can afford to have their own...

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Mar 3, 2010 BO Bolivia

By Sheethal Shobowale, KF10, Bolivia

I met some Dutch Kiva lenders during a trip to Isla del Sol, Lake Titicaca in Bolivia who don’t like to loan to groups on Kiva because

  • They miss out on the personal connection with one particular entrepreneur
  • They feel like the loans amounts are too big so they feel they aren’t making as much of a dent in the group loan amount as they would have if they had lent to one entrepreneur
  • They don’t get to see the entrepreneur at work if the photo is of a group of people at a meeting...
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    Mar 3, 2010 PE Peru

    By David Connelly, KF10 Peru

    I have a hunch that most lenders on Kiva don’t pay to much attention to field partner profiles. It isn’t hard to understand why: they’re long on text and short on story. Folks looking for a nice, “soft-touch” way of putting their money to good use are happy to trust that Kiva only posts worthy profiles from worthy places. And that’s OK. Kiva does carefully vet its field partners. Skip out on those details, though, and you lose a bit of your voice. From Accion USA to Zene za Zene, each field partner has their own approach...

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    Feb 2, 2010 BO Bolivia

    If you haven’t heard, there have been terrible floods in Cusco, Peru in the past week. Since we are in the thick of La Epoca de la Lluvia (the rainy season), rain is expected but the level of destruction seen in the area is unimaginable.

    Tourism is the main industry in Cusco, and the damage produced by the rain does substantial damage on the Cusco economy. From the February 3rd warden message from the U.S. Embassy in Peru, I read that Machu Picchu is closed and the rail line between Ollantaytambo and Aguas Calientes is closed due to landslides until possibly March. I...

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    Feb 2, 2010 PE Peru

    The Fellows’ Blog is fast approaching its 1000th entry. With fresh updates posted multiple times daily, even the most dedicated readers can’t help but miss some real gems. With that in mind, I’d like to shine a light on some of the great work done by recent fellows in Peru.

    Along with Cambodia, Peru is Kiva’s most heavily blogged about country. I took advantage of this spectacular repository on my 22 hours of bouncing between airports en route to Peru. Here are a few I really liked:

  • Re-Introducing the Guinea Pig While visiting...
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    Feb 2, 2010 BO Bolivia

    At microfinance institution Asociación Arariwa in Cusco, Peru, and now working with Emprender in La Paz, Bolivia, I have met a ton of animals.  Being an animal lover and from New York where I rarely see live animals walking around (unless the occasional stray cat or rat or cockroach counts), seeing animals as part of my daily life is a pleasure.

    Here are several Kiva Fellow animal stories in photos -

    Below are stories of Kiva Fellow animal encounters from around the world.  If you enjoyed Kiva’s Animal Kingdom, please consider making a loan to a Kiva entrepreneur who... Continue Reading >>
    Jan 1, 2010 PE Peru

    By Sheethal Shobowale, KF9, Peru

    Doris, one of the loan officers at Asociación Arariwa, has been working with clients in Urubamba and Cusco for 17 years.

    I sat in on one of the monthly loan payment meetings of one of her communal banks, Aguas Buenas.  All members paid their monthly payments on time, but two of the members asked permission beforehand not to attend.  Because of their absence, Doris commented on the importance of attending the monthly meetings, saying “No vamos a lograr nada” (We won’t achieve anything this way).  She...

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    Jan 1, 2010 PE Peru

    By Josh Wilcox, KF9 Peru

    As many Kiva supporters submitted entries to the Kiva Video Contest, I unfortunately was not able to upload my own version of “How Kiva Works” due to Internet issues in Peru.  In order to not let the precious hours I spent go to waste, I have included below my attempt at describing how Kiva maintains their innovative model, particularly highlighting the role of the Field Partners, who perform an incredibly vital role in the Kiva cycle.  Enjoy!

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