Kiva Blog Updates

Dec 16, 2019 KV Kiva HQ

Jeff Nelson started his journey with Kiva as a Fellow and now works full-time as a staff accountant at our Portland office. He's passionate about holistic community development in marginalized urban contexts, as you can read below!

Growing up in the Minnesota suburbs, my parents always encouraged me to look out for the "little guy." In college, I recognized that the "little guy" made up the majority of the world and likely lived outside the US. After graduating, I spent two years in some rough Central American neighborhoods...

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Jul 1, 2019 KV Kiva HQ
“I’ve always loved my science classes,” explains 2nd-year med student, Antonia, “but I didn’t realize I was good at it until last year.”  At a community festival, Antonia put her passion into practice by providing emergency CPR and saving the life of a neighbor. “I was so grateful for the training,” Antonia continued, “and it never would have been possible without a loan from Kiva and FUNDAPEC.”



Antonia is the youngest of 9 children from a small village outside of Santo Domingo in the Dominican Republic. Her parents are ailing, currently unemployed and... Continue Reading >>
Apr 28, 2019 KV Kiva HQ

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...

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