Stories tagged with Kenya

Nov 11, 2013 KE Kenya
 
KADET, Naivasha Branch: Me, Fridah, Pauline, Mildred, Stellah, Mike, Rose, Alice



I know Thanksgiving is a proper American holiday. Yet, Americans are certainly not the only people who have much to be thankful for.  Like Christina Magro (a fellow Kiva Fellow in Nicaragua)  eloquently highlighted, microfinance officers play a vital role in the Kiva process but their efforts can go undetected by the Kiva community.
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Nov 11, 2013 KE Kenya

According to UN Habitat, of the four million people who live in Nairobi, over 60% live in slums, 78% of which do not have running water in their homes. Many struggle to pay their rent of $10-35 per month and rarely have enough food to eat. Their children are very lucky if they are consistently able to attend school. For those in better conditions, this reality becomes all the more confronting when these people are your friends and relatives. 

So, when Davis Mkoji got a call in early 2012 inviting him to test...

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Nov 11, 2013 KE Kenya

How is Kiva Zip, a direct lending program based on the internet and mobile money transfers, working without the aid of micro-finance institutions on the ground? It begins with and is upheld by one important group of individuals: local community members we train to be trustees

As we near our two year anniversary and celebrate our climbing repayment rate, now at 92%, we would like to honor our top-performing partners through a series of... Continue Reading >>
Oct 10, 2013 KE Kenya

Earlier this month Kiva Zip celebrated a milestone of having disbursed its 1,000th loan to entrepreneurs in Kenya. What is unique about the Kiva Zip model is that it is a direct, person-to-person lending platform with 0% interest loans and no fees for the borrowers (learn more here!). We are very excited about the tremendous progress we have made and about the improvements we continue to make that allow us to better serve our borrowers, Trustees, and lenders.

Kiva Zip targets entrepreneurs with very small businesses and who can benefit from a loan as small as $50-$100...

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Oct 10, 2013 KE Kenya
Smartphones are used by Honey Care's hive technicians to reach remote farmers with their beekeeping services.



Before I became a Kiva Fellow I was only an occassional lender with some dangerous assumptions about Kiva borrowers. These assumptions perpetuated my ignorance of borrower's creativity and business prowess.  More importantly, they limited me from increasing my lending portfolio and thus limiting my impact on people's lives.  

It has taken me 2 months in Kenya to... Continue Reading >>
Oct 10, 2013 KE Kenya


If you are privileged enough to visit Nairobi, you can decide to approach the city out of fear and simply visit the airport, hotels, and expat bars.The other more rewarding option is to enjoy the vibrancy and rich culture of Nairobi (aka "Silicon Savannah") by using public transportation to navigate the capitol.

Make sure to remember a few things to lower your chances of over-paying, getting lost...

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Oct 10, 2013 KE Kenya

Man performing Muslim prayers while waiting for the terrorist siege to end


The media hype may be winding down but many of us here in Kenya are still shaken by the Westgate terrorist attack. While my own experience may not be as compelling as those in the news, it has left me with a deeper compassion for those who live in constant fear. 

Early...

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Sep 9, 2013 KE Kenya
A Juhudi Kilimo Credit Officer using a tablet on a farm in Kenya's unpaved heartland.



Are tablets a practical solution to rural microfinance operations?

This is the big question I am working to answer during my 4 months in beautiful Kenya.  This appears to be a simple question with an obvious answer. However, after traveling over 1000 kilometers in one week throughout urban and rural Kenya, I have learned about the obstacles that will make tabletizing Kiva... Continue Reading >>
Aug 8, 2013 KE Kenya
It’s a warm Sunday afternoon and I’m hiking in a volcanic gorge just outside Hells Gate National Park in Naivasha. A slender Maasai man named Joe is guiding my friend and I up the steep, slippery walls of hardened lava. After climbing a steep cliff, we sit down at the top to take in a view of Kenya’s stunning Rift Valley. Joe asks us for how long we are visiting.

“I’m here for awhile,” I reply. “I’m working with a company that helps people get loans.”

Not surprisingly,...

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Jul 7, 2013 KE Kenya

Kenneth holds up his kerosene lantern and proudly says, “I won’t need this one anymore!” He wipes the dust off the table and asks us to sit down. We follow his offer and start listening to his story....

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