My colleague, Elin and I held back our emotions during a meeting with Dan Olga , a new Kiva Zip trustee. ‘What would you do if your children had not eaten food the night before and your husband had not sent money?’ Dan described how mothers would do anything for their children, even sleeping with a truck driver for 200 shillings ($2.30), so that they are able feed their children.  Siaya, where Daniel is from and where he has started the Smart Center, is frequented by truck drivers on their way to Uganda and Rwanda.  ...

Senegalese cellphone subscribers 2000:     Senegalese cellphone subscribers 2011:

Approximately 250,000                                 Approximately 9.3 million

The numbers are jarring, and the widespread presence of cellphones is palpable.

Before coming to Senegal, a friend encouraged me to keep an eye out for the radical, drastic, and constant ...

By Irene Fung | KF19 | India

Eileen and Irene are both fellows in India.  Eileen is living in Imphal, Manipur and Irene is in Bhubaneswar, Odisha.  While in conversations with one another, we have been struck by how different the cities are.  We’ve compiled these observations to share with you our experiences of the rich and diverse culture of India.  In Part I, we start with Irene in Odisha and continue with Eileen in Part 2.

Top 3 things that you always notice while roaming your neighborhood.

1. Inner City Cows.  As people familiar with India...

This Thanksgiving I may not be eating turkey and pumpkin pie, but I have many reasons to be thankful. I am grateful to work with two Kiva Partners in Togo and Benin who go above and beyond to provide services to poor clients who previously had no access to formal credit.

Reaching the Poorest of the Poor...