Traditional banks won’t lend to refugees because they’re perceived as too risky. But Kiva’s refugee portfolio breaks that stereotype - we lend to refugees with a repayment rate above 95%. 

Kiva began crowdfunding loans to refugees in 2016. Since then, lenders on our platform have contributed $12.5 million in loans to over 15,000 refugees across the globe. But we’re just getting started. 

Besides our crowdfunding platform, we are working on two new initiatives that will catalyze our impact. 

"We want to share what we're doing in...

Dima and her husband were forced to leave their home when she was pregnant. After she delivered her son, they were forced to flee again, each carrying one of their children. This time they left their home country of Syria for Lebanon to seek safety. 

In Syria, Dima's husband had a good job. In Lebanon, Dima had to get a job...

MiCrédito was founded in 2004 to establish a new and improved support system for underserved populations in rural Nicaragua. Through the years, its size and impact have grown extensively, delivering various products and services to an even larger group in both Nicaragua and Costa Rica.

How does Kiva know who needs a loan? How does the money actually reach them? What is a Lending Partner? These are questions we get a lot! To get a clearer view of how Kiva works, here's a bit about the Lending Partners we work with. 

What's a Lending Partner? Kiva works with more than 330 local organizations worldwide to distribute loans. These are our Lending Partners on the ground, meeting borrowers and delivering your loans. When you lend to most borrowers on kiva.org, the funds go to Kiva’s Lending Partners, who are...

Think about the cup of coffee you drank this morning. If you don’t drink coffee, think about the millions of cups of coffee that get consumed each morning. Do you know where those coffee beans were grown? 

Usually countries like Colombia, Ethiopia or Indonesia come to mind. But not many people realize that Uganda is the world’s 8th largest producer of coffee. The coffee industry is a main part of the Ugandan economy and employs a large portion of the population. 

Coffee...

Kiva loans are sent to 80 countries around the world, but for our 100+ employees in our US offices, sometimes our impact can feel distant from daily office life. Last week, one of our employees in our Bangkok, Thailand office shared an especially touching experience with the entire Kiva organization. It reminded all of us of the reasons we come to work every single day. We thought we’d share it with you, too. Mark McDonagh, our Asia Pacific Investment Manager, tells the following story about his visit with a Kiva borrower in Indonesia. 

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After growing up in Togo in a family with 9 children, Ayaovi began work in travel sales and real estate. However, he longed for a way to become a bigger part of his local community, so he started devoting his evenings and weekends to starting a fish business. 

It all started with 1 icebox and a single ring burner stove, along with the knowledge Ayaovi gleaned from his mother, who had also sold fish in their community. She had taught all her children about her business as they grew up. 

A little over a decade ago, Gissel and her husband fell on hard times. Employment was scarce and they ran out of funds to finish their home. They slept many nights under cardboard next to their two young children.

Gissel heard about a program offering group loans for women in their village and she enrolled immediately. With the help of Esperanza International, Gissel started a business and has grown her hair salon into a community hub.  By receiving that spark of microfinance capital, embracing her inherent gifts of hospitality and refining her skills through...

Jessica grew up in Manipur, India, and always dreamed of becoming a flight attendant. She believed that working in aviation would make her dreams come true. In a region where access to finance is difficult, this path is sometimes the only option to escape economic hardship. 

Jessica’s family faced many financial problems and depended on her father’s government employee salary to make ends meet. His income was not sufficient to support his three children in pursuit of professional fields. But that didn’t stop Jessica from pursuing her dream....

While the majority of lenders on Kiva are adults, the desire to do good around the world is not limited to grown-ups. At the Town School for Boys in San Francisco, California, microfinance is a concept that the 6th graders are very familiar with. 

For over 7 years, Kiva has served as the platform for a year-long project undertaken by 6th-grade math students at the Town School. The team-based hands-on project teaches the boys about microfinance, financial literacy, and global awareness. 

First, the students are introduced to microfinance and learn...

Looking back on this past year, Kiva has made huge strides in expanding financial access to underserved communities. This work would not be possible without the dedicated effort of our volunteers in our Review and Translation Program (RTP). Each month, volunteers review, edit and translate tens of thousands of loan profiles before they go live on Kiva’s site. Each volunteer plays a crucial role in ensuring a diverse and substantial amount of loans are funneled to the site. They are the critical step in borrower’s stories being shared with the Kiva community. Here is a look back at the...

Here at Kiva, we love to celebrate our interns and the meaningful work that they accomplish every day. And International Volunteer Week is a great opportunity to do just that! Halfway through the internship cycle, we sat down with a few of them to hear about their work and how their time at Kiva has impacted them. Read below to learn what it's like to be an intern at Kiva. Interested in growing with Kiva? Check out our professional development opportunities here. 
 

Impact Investing Team, San Francisco office ...