Armenia
Compiled by Alexis Ditkowsky
Transportation is an apt topic when so many Fellows are saying goodbye (Sierra Leone pictured)
We’ve officially hit the point in the Kiva Fellows cycle where the current batch says goodbye just as the latest group is getting their bearings at Kiva HQ. Fortunately, there are a number of posts this week to help us through the transition and cheer us up. If you’re interested in a comprehensive image gallery of the hot...
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By Adam Cohn KF14, Rwanda
Rwanda: That Bieber Fever
Poda-Poda, Tro-Tro, Marshrutka, Jitney, Bemo, Bush Taxi. It seems that they have different, funny names in each locale, but they all refer to the same concept: the shared taxi. A share taxi is a vehicle which travels around a fixed route and either departs when it’s totally full, or allows customers to hop on and off wherever they want. In Rwanda, they are also a zeitgeist of what’s hip...
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Compiled by Alexis Ditkowsky
Kiva Fellows celebrated Earth Day around the world (Rwanda pictured)
Kiva Fellows observed Earth Day by sharing projects initiated by their partner microfinance institutions and host countries and by celebrating Kiva.org’s first batch of “Green Loans”. The upbeat mood also extended to anniversary parties at MFIs in Jordan and Armenia, enthusiastic endorsements to travel to Colombia, and reporting on a great...
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Compiled by Caree Edson, KF 14, Armenia
One of the unfortunate sight-seeing adventures that you never sign up for when you travel (especially in developing countries) is the unseemly amount of trash cluttering the otherwise beautiful landscapes. In Armenia, it isn’t possible to see the horizon through the smog most days and the streets are covered in cigarette butts and litter. I found no exceptions to this as I inquired from other Kiva Fellows about the dire situation in their countries. Environmental education and reform are simply not a top priority in many countries....
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Compiled by Alexis Ditkowsky, KF14, South Africa
Most of the photos for April Fools' Day were ready before we even hatched our plans (Cambodia pictured)
We hope you enjoyed our April Fools post on Friday! While we were entertaining ourselves pulling it all together, we also found the time to attend to some serious matters: coffee in Colombia is no joke (in a bad way), some borrowers are easier to locate than others, and oftentimes Fellows must say goodbye to...
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Guatemala
Compiled by Alexis Ditkowsky, KF14, South Africa
Many Fellows get around in fanciful local taxis (Indonesia pictured)
While it may have been a slower “official” news week than usual, I can assure you that the Fellows are keeping busy. One Fellow spent hours searching fruitlessly for borrowers in the jungle, another has been suffering from serious gastrointestinal issues (aren’t you glad he didn’t post about that?), and the rest of us have...
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Rwanda
During my 5+ months here in Rwanda, I’ve made myself at home in Kigali, and adapted to the Rwandese lifestyle. I have also picked up some…interesting habits, many of which will not translate when I return home to the US in June. Below are a handful of quirks that I have acquired during my crash-course in Rwandese culture:
1) Hissing
Here in Rwanda, it’s acceptable to hiss at someone in order to get their attention. A simple “tsssss!” is effective for: attracting the attention of a moto-taxi, calling a waiter or bartender, getting someone’s attention on the street,...
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Cambodia
By David McNeill (Sierra Leone) and Adam Cohn (Rwanda), with lots of help from the 14th class of Kiva Fellows
It turns out that one thing Kiva Fellows seem to have in common is a love for data. With that, Kiva Fellows David and Adam polled the current fellows in the field on the costs of various necessities and niceties in their current placements. The numbers, which we humbly title the Kiva Fellows Index, give some good insight into the conditions in the far-flung places we now live and work.
Far from home
...
Bolivia
Contributions from Kiva Fellows around the globe, compiled by Mei-ing Cheok.
Solidarity - A group of Ghanaian women after their weekly meeting with their loan officer
The beauty of microfinance is that it gives people at the wrong end of the income spectrum opportunities to step out of the poverty trap. It also provides women the confidence and security that comes from earning their own income, leading to greater gender equality.
Financially and...
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Ghana
Compiled by Alexis Ditkowsky, KF14, South Africa
Last week, Kiva Fellows took you to places you may not have known existed (West Timor, Indonesia, pictured)
The Fellows will be covering International Women’s Day later this week but let’s take a moment to acknowledge its lesser-known cousin in Kyrgyzstan, “Man’s Day”. And while you’re appreciating culture and history in far-off places, take a trip to Peru and West Timor through photos,...
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